Broken Chains
by DaSalvatore
Summary: Harry's adventures within Hogwarts are not what most people believe. He is a smarter, much more Slytherin Boy-Who-Lived. When Sirius died at the Battle of the Ministry, Harry implements a series of plans devised by Padfoot, Moony and the Son of Prongs in order to tackle the real Dark Lord he is supposed to Vanquish. Albus Dumbledore. A Lunar Harmony tale of Harry breaking free.
1. Let Loose the Marauders of War

**AN: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!**

 **Now that's out of the way, let me just say that there are three very special stories which directly inspired this one. DrgnMstr's Harry Potter and the Unspeakable Time, zArkham's Harry Potter and the Rejected Path, and DerLaCroix's fabulous Rocking the Boat. They're incredible and Harry's ritual is a direct homage to the one in Rocking the Boat. While Unspeakable Time isn't finished, there's enough there for people to enjoy the ride. Rocking the Boat is simply fantastic from start to finish with just the right laughter, naughtiness and action as well as development to keep the reader interested.**

 **This story is about Harry, Sirius and Remus realising there's much more going on in Harry's life than previously believed. It's Evil!Dumbledore, heavily Ron bashing with various levels of Molly and Ginny depending on how they turn out. This is Harry and friends against two sides of the war, involves many mythological references, and he won't take prisoners.**

 **A word on The Morrigan: I'm writing her as having three aspects:**

 **Morrigu - Goddess of Battle  
**

 **Macha - Goddess of Sovereignty**

 **Badb - Goddess of Prophecy.**

 **In this story "The Morrigan" is therefore a title encompassing all three Goddesses whereas sometimes someone will refer to only one when the situation arises. This is a slight change to the original way I wrote the references as many kept believing that Morrigna/Morrigan were simply different spellings.**

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Let Loose the Marauders of War

 _The day before Hogwarts Leaving Feast, 1996_

The world now knew that Voldemort, You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to the same craven cowards who turned their backs on those brave enough to fight him, was back. The _Prophet_ announced it so it must be true irregardless that they had been denying the exact thing for almost an entire year.

It was this and all the other "truths" the rag of a magical newspaper reported that had the majority of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry students gossiping. Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and sometimes Dark Lord in the making, couldn't care less about any of that. The days since the "Ministry Six" had shown the Wizarding World the truth about Voldemort's return had been the most painful of his intense young life. Hidden beneath the illusion of the Golden Gryffindor had always been a well of bottomless rage and desire to see the world burn that had its roots in the night he was left alone on a doorstep like an early milk delivery. For years he had managed to keep this fury, this wild vortex of emotions and raw magical power contained. But with the soul crushing agony of losing his only true father figure Harry's self-made chains were metaphorically broken. The genie was out of its box because of the death of one man.

Lord Apparent Sirius Orion Black III. The Marauder known as Padfoot. James Potter's brother in all but blood. Harry's godfather.

So instead of sitting alone somewhere allowing himself to drown in the grief and rage, Harry was working himself into exhaustion in the Room of Requirement by blasting, piercing, burning and generally destroying as many training dummies as the Room could provide. Given that the Room was capable of an infinite amount, the end results were quite spectacular.

The door was quietly and carefully opened and two of the famous Ministry Six slid inside. The tall, sandy-haired boy, who long ago had lost the bulk of his baby fat, could only stare in awe and a twinge of fear at the force of nature that they had found. The wide-eyed blonde beside him only gave one of her knowing little smiles at the sight of the _real_ Harry Potter.

Harry felt more than saw the eyes upon him and decided to finish his workout. The Room had come to know to stop as soon as his signature combo was finished.

A widely cast and incredibly powerful Levicorpus sent twelve training dummies thirty feet into the air. This was followed by an even more overpowered summoning charm that drove the dummies head first into the unyielding floor. Neville cringed at the sight and sound of skulls and spines being pulverised by the Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry, having turned with a flourish at the end of his deadly combo, stared defiantly at the duo. Something dangerous flickered behind his aglow Avada eyes, sending a shiver down Neville's back, and then Harry sighed as though finally accepting a painful truth.

"I should've known that the day I didn't lock the door was the day people came looking for me."

The rigidity of his body faded away to leave behind a hurting teenager and the dangerous glow of magic disappeared as though it had never been.

"Now, Harry." Luna said as though reminding a forgetful child. "You know Fate and Circumstance have their eyes upon you."

Neville _might_ have missed the way Luna added the capitals but he couldn't miss the obvious cringe Harry gave. The tightening of his friend's lips was the same look his Gran had when hearing something she didn't like.

"Harry...how did you...I mean..." Neville waved his hand where the now vanished destruction had been. Not in all the months Harry had lead the Defence Association had this deadly warrior been seen. "That was incredible! I've not seen anything like it."

There was a moment of silence as Harry looked carefully at his friends and once more something slipped behind his eyes to gaze out of the killing green orbs. The quirky girl merely gave him a nod of encouragement that had Harry taking a deep, steadying breath as he closed the gap between them.

"Nev, did you know my grandmother was a Black?" Harry asked, coming at Neville's question from a different angle that the other boy expected. There was a steel in his voice that those within Hogwarts had rarely heard. It was the voice of the boy who had survived a basilisk, stared down You-Know-Who and rode a Thestral to rescue his godfather. "And that her brother by marriage was a Longbottom?"

The Scion to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom blinked at the questions and suddenly found himself face-to-face with a _very_ focused Harry. His friend's magic still rippled in the air and Neville could feel it deep in his bones.

"Great uncle Harfang." Neville replied with a frown as he remembered the family history lessons from his Gran. "My dad's uncle married a Black."

"Flint, Crabbe, Yaxley, Rosier, Malfoy and...Lestrange." Harry counted each name off and paused slightly with the last. His free hand rose to take an iron grip of Neville's shoulder to provide some type of comfort at the painful name as well as physically showing the point he was making. "Some of the Dark, even Darkest, families in today's society have married into the Blacks. And so have Crouch, Prewett, Potter, and Longbottom."

Neville's mouth open to refute the insinuation on his name and Harry quickly pushed on.

"I'm not saying our families are Dark. I'm saying they aren't the blinding Light that some would have us believe. Instead what we are is _Grey."_ The Boy-Who-Lived explained with passion, expressing thoughts he had kept from his friends in order to hide his real self. This was the truth of the boy who had entered Hogwarts five years previous and part of what had the Sorting Hat want to place him in Slytherin. "The six of us went to the Ministry to save Sirius and we fought the way the Light would have us fight. We took down twelve Death Eaters, Nev, and the same ones kept on coming. We took them down again and they got back up. Sirius _died._ Hermione _almost died_. I was possessed by that bastard. _You_ could have died. _Luna_ could have died."

As Harry pushed each point the understanding in Neville's almost royal blue eyes grew until he was looking at the boy he considered his big brother in shock and awe.

" _That._ " Harry snarled, pointing at where he had destroyed the dummies. "Is not how one fights according to the Light. And how we fought at the Ministry is not how I'm going to fight against those bastards when I meet them again."

Luna Selene Lovegood, daughter of Pandora Selene Lovegood and all the powerful Lovegood witches preceding her, smiled as she witnessed the first steps of the Morrigan's warrior breaking free of his chains. Her own Goddess had often come to her dreams, holding Luna as she cried over her painful early Hogwarts years. The Goddess had promised that a warrior of Old would come and change everything, but that she would have to be strong for him until his Deathly Protector freed them both.

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oOoOo

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 _Flashback - 6th June, 1994_

 _She had been picking fluxweed beneath the full moon when it happened. A werewolf's howl was followed by the protective snarl of the Grimm as it kept the crazed-with-pain wolf away from Harry Potter and his friends._

 _And then the Dementors came._

 _Her sanity, far stronger than the bullies within Ravenclaw would have people believe, began to fray as she was forced to continuously re-watch her mother's painful death. Luna was somehow able to keep a part of her mind focused on her surroundings and she saw the wolf disappear. She watched as Harry and a transformed Grimm were almost Kissed only for the most powerful Patronus ever seen to appear. Almost the entirety of the Ministry's Dementors were swooping around her and yet they panicked, fleeing from the power wielded by a single wand. A power offered up by one boy's heart._

 _She was drawn to see where the powerful stag had come from only to be stunned when she saw a second Harry Potter, his magic and destiny shining like a beacon to one such as her. It was then she knew. She Saw into the boy and with the blessed Selene's grace knew that this was The Morrigan's warrior who she was asked to aid. The realisation came just before the effects became too much and had her passing out. It was only through the Moon Goddess that she was safe. Luna would wake in her Ravenclaw bed with a fantastic haul of fluxweed as a gift and no one the wiser about what she had seen._

 _._

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oOoOo

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Luna's musings were broken when Neville clasped Harry's elbows in the age old warrior greeting between friends. She hated that it was the loss of Harry's Deathly Protector that had brought her boys to this point though it didn't stop her being proud at what she was seeing.

"The Longbottoms stand with the Potters, from now until the end of time." Neville declared and their Family Magics rose to accept the emotional pledge. "We may not be Dark but we will smite our enemies so they may never take another's loved one."

"And where a Longbottom goes." Harry replied, staring back into his friend's eyes. Harry saw a pain there that mirrored his own and this added to his words. Neither knew they were being guided by forces greater than the world could imagine. "He knows a Potter will always have his back. We will make them fear us, brother."

There was a great _shift_ within the Room of Requirement as the double pledge of honour, friendship, and loyalty was cemented by Old Magic. It was only the unique properties of the Come and Go Room that kept the immense magical release of their oaths from affecting the rest of the castle. The two boys didn't even notice. What they did notice was a sense of strength and companionship that hadn't been there before and the two lonely Children of Prophecy welcomed it. Luna beamed at what she witnessed and had Seen, truly awed that she had been able to experience such a bonding. And then Harry turned to her and she felt a flutter ripple through her entire body.

"Little Pixie." He gave his lopsided grin that had most of the female students swooning without him even knowing. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We wanted to make sure the Wrackspurts hadn't taken you over." Her words caused his eyes to sparkle with hidden mischief. The boys let each other go and he quickly pulled her into a hug, one that she returned with all her might. "And to give you a letter from a very dear friend."

Neville pulled out a crumbled roll of parchment and handed it to a now frowning Harry.

"You'll understand." Neville promised, looking sheepish at what he was having to do.

The author had almost demanded that the two friends read it before they found Harry, wanting to make sure they understood exactly what was being asked of them. Harry's eyebrows rose at the mystery and then his eyes widened to comical levels at the length of the 'note' he had been given.

 _My Dearest Harry,_

 _I know that you are probably shocked by the scruffiness of my handwriting after all these years. I'm writing this in the girls bathroom so that no one of importance can see. It also seems fitting that the same place where you saved my life almost six years ago is where I now promise myself to you and our friendship._

 _Harry, it is my deepest regret that last year I listened to someone to keep you in the dark. I did this even when it went against my own conscience. I never believed that it was what was best for you, especially after what happened to Cedric and what followed. Yet I allowed my belief in authority to override what my heart was screaming at me. For this I can only humbly beg your forgiveness and give you my solemn promise that it won't happen again._

 _You saved me from the Troll. You once told me that it was me being petrified that gave you the determination to face Slytherin's basilisk. And, although I feared losing you because of the Firebolt, your belief in my ability to help you through that blasted Tournament showed me how much you value our friendship. That you then went through teaching the D.A. after what I did to you last summer relieved a weight off my shoulders that had been there since the day they rescued you from the Dursleys._

 _This year has been horrible for the both of us. I was forced to watch people I believed in, people I_ _should_ _believe in, abandon you to the rabid animals that work at the Daily Prophet, the torture of Umbridge, and at the wand of Snape. I've been doing some research (don't laugh!) and the things he did to you are_ _NOT_ _how one is supposed to teach Occlumency. If anything he destroyed whatever natural barriers you had and brought about what happened during our History of Magic OWL._

 _And so I must once again offer my humblest apologies in not believing you. I can only hope you will give me a chance to prove just how sorry I am for abandoning you to the torture of that man._

 _Please don't blame yourself, Harry. I might have thought it was a trap but that doesn't make it your fault. You did what you could to check on Sirius before we left for the Ministry. That we took Thestrals then still had to get in and fight the Death Eaters before the Order showed up means Snape's message to the Order was "delayed" far longer than reasonable doubt could suggest. What happened in that place to me, to Ron, to Sirius, and to you can be laid at many feet. None of those are owned by Harry James Potter!_

 _I know you, Harry. You're probably rolling your eyes at that and wondering why I've said all this. It's because Ron and I were once again asked to not send you any letters this summer. That **Man** who thinks he's Merlin's gift to to the world knows Legilimency so I had to do everything I could to make it seem like I agreed. I don't Harry! I refuse to do it to you again. I know just by him asking that he doesn't have the best intentions for you._

 _That useless prat Ronald agreed straight away! I asked if you were going to have guards again this summer and I was told "only some". My guess is that Moody won't be with them so if there's any way of you getting away from those horrible Dursleys go for it! I've included my home address if you need somewhere to hide._

 _Stay safe, Harry. I believe in you. Neville and Luna believe in you. You are, and have always been, my dearest friend._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione._

The Room of Requirement had reconfigured around the three students as Harry read and reread the letter. Harry barely noticed, not even when he sat on the materialised sofa. He was far too shocked that his best friend had put so much of herself in the note to think of anything else. He was both surprised and awed when he realised it was so she could prove herself to him.

"Yeah, I felt the same." Neville softly said from Harry's left, easily understanding his friend's look.

"She doesn't use the title 'Professor' anywhere." Luna added as she gently rested a hand on Harry's arm. His muscles were tight from anger at what Dumbledore had asked Hermione to do. The mention of the Headmaster had him scanning the long letter again.

"She never actually uses Dumbledore's name." Harry shook his head and carefully folded the parchment in half so he could slip it into his robe. "She's furious with him."

He took a deep breath and a violent shudder went through his body not dissimilar to the way a dog shakes itself down.

"Thank you, both of you. This means a lot." He said emphatically with a hand waving between the three of them and at the pocket where the letter was safe. He appeared to steel himself as he turned to look each in the eyes. "And listen. There's going to be some big changes next year. Especially if I can do everything I want to this summer. If either of you need to get in touch, call for Dobby. He'll come as soon as you're alone and pass on any message."

The two nodded and Harry looked around the room, though his eyes were far away in his own thoughts. His thoughts mirrored those that ended Hermione's letter.

"There are very few people I trust now and you three are at the top of that list. So please, no matter what, be careful."

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oOoOo

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 _28th June, 1996 – Privet Drive_

The journey back to Harry's prison of Number Four Privet Drive had been a quiet one. Mad-Eye Moody, the real one this time, had threatened Vernon about the way he treated Harry and it kept the large, walrus of a man silently fuming until they walked into the Dursleys home.

It had never been a home to Harry.

Harry's own anger was as ready to explode as the man who had married his aunt. Moody's comments made it plain that the Order of the Phoenix was well aware of his home life yet they were choosing to follow Dumbledore's orders rather than get a child out of an abusing environment.

His hand rose as soon as the door to the cookie-cutter house closed and he lashed out with his magic. There were no words and no real spell was thought of. Instead Harry allowed his will and emotions to drive his magic and the air crackled with his overcharged power as the very thing the Dursleys feared was what pinned them to the wall like insects.

"Last year you two and your spoilt brat ignored me." He said in a dangerously low tone. His emotions fed his magic which then pushed to be free and run wild on the two whose legacy of pain on his life was only beaten by two dangerous wizards. "We're going to continue that this summer and hopefully there won't even be any distractions from pesky Dementors."

Vernon tried speaking, or more likely ranting, but Harry's finger rose as soon as he saw the signs.

"No." He commanded, taking a tone McGonagall had often used in her lessons. His eyes glowed with power and that more than anything stalled the bigoted man. "You won't degrade me or my magic any more. You _certainly_ won't degrade my parents who bloody died a heroes death in order for me to live."

If it wasn't they had beaten, starved and neglected any chance of a love connection out of him then the sight of Petunia's eyes shining with potential tears at the mention of the her sister's death would have moved Harry. As it was he sneered at the selfishness behind it.

"If you really can't bring yourself to do what I've said then I suggest taking some holiday time to see Marge. Get out of the house and you may be lucky enough for me to be gone by the time you come back."

Harry turned and made his way to his room, the feather light trunk following behind like an obedient dog. Sirius had managed to teach him a few wandless spells as well as the 'trick' to accidental magic. Raw emotion with a singular intent. It might be magically intensive and both magically and emotionally exhausting, but for brief instances it worked when you couldn't use a wand.

The magic holding the Dursleys captive held until Harry's bedroom door closed behind him. The two adults crashed unceremoniously to the floor. They didn't speak. Their decision had been made the moment it was offered and they were packing as soon as they could scamper up the stairs.

The panicking Dursleys didn't know that the boy their feared was unconscious. A drained Harry, with the pain of losing Sirius threatening to consume him, had simply fallen asleep on the excuse of a bed they had provided after the intense magical output. Nor did they know of the almost silent pop that followed which announced the protective guardian that was Dobby the House-elf to make sure they didn't enter his room.

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oOoOo

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It was dark when Harry woke from his self-inflicted slumber. He groaned as he pulled himself upright and fought against the first tendrils of the same nightmare that had haunted him since the Ministry.

Sirius falling. Harry running. Harry almost getting there and yet never in time.

"Master Harry Potter Sir bes awake!" An all too familiar voice declared as he rubbed his eyes to shake off the last dregs of sleep. "Dobby bes making something to eat, Master Harry Potter Sir!"

"Thank you, Dobby." He offered the now empty air as the hyperactive little bugger popped off to do just that.

After Harry retrieved his glasses he took a careful look around the room. Hedwig was napping but rather than use his headboard or be in her cage as was the norm, she was now on a newly bought perch. Her cage had been neatly put into a corner with its door facing the wall and he could only guess that it was to prove to the owl she wouldn't be forced into it. His books and writing equipment were sitting neatly on a now fully functional and repaired desk. Harry had no doubts that his small smattering of clothes had been put away in the now sparkling polished wardrobe.

A brand new bed light sat on the desk and Harry guessed it was one of those touch controlled lamps since the bulb was only giving off a soft, soothing glow. The space beneath his door was dark and the house completely silent.

"The Dursleys must have ran to Marge." He mused aloud.

"Oh yes, Master Harry Potter Sir." Dobby declared as he popped back in with a relatively small tray of food. "Nasty Mugglies bes running away almost as soon as Master Harry Potter Sir bes letting them free. They bes taking Master Harry Potter Sirs wibbly wobbly cousin too."

Harry could only stare at his friend before the laughter rose up and broke free at Dobby's description. The sound brought a smile to the caring elf.

"Thank you, Dobby." Harry said through the lingering giggles at his friend and personal elf. "Why don't you pull up a chair and enjoy some of this with me?"

Harry had learnt his lesson when the Dursleys starved him for half his second summer back from Hogwarts. He had called Dobby the moment he arrived back after third year and, after a bit of wrangling, Dobby became his house-elf. It meant Harry not only had someone to look after him when he needed it but also someone to help when Vernon got too friendly with his fists. Now Dobby's excited nature was only part act when around anyone not in the know. The elf was also partly how Harry and Sirius had been able to keep in much more contact than anyone knew of.

Harry _really_ should have been put in Slytherin.

Dobby clicked an elf-sized chair into existence and took some sandwiches he had made for when the Great Harry Potter asked him to eat. The first hundred or so times had resulted in an explosion of tears and feelings of being unworthy but now Dobby knew the offer only made his Master even more special. Dobby knew his Master Harry Sir had been treated as badly as he had by his old Masters and luckily Master Harry Potter Sir hadn't ordered him not to get justice. Dobby was only waiting for his Master Harry Potter Sir's life to settle down before he got vengeance on the evil Mugglies.

No one hurt Dobby's Harry Potter Sir!

The two friends talked of what happened after the Ministry, though neither were emotionally ready to let free the grief of Sirius' death, and Dobby was horrified to hear about a Prophecy against his Harry Potter Sir. As Harry talked he got an urge to write it all down and Dobby absently made a pad and pen appear for him to use.

"The thing is, Dobs." Harry explained as he polished off his meal and picked up the gold plated fountain pen. "I'm not too sure that the Prophecy is actually talking about Riddle."

Harry had started to use Voldemort's Muggle name when Dobby continuously freaked out over hearing his nom de plume. The elf's ears dropped in despair at there being two Dark Lords his Master Harry Potter would have to fight.

"Now I truly think it _is_ between Riddle and I regardless." Harry continued with a scowl even as he admitted to himself he would want to take out the Dark Bastard if he had the power. "Riddle thinks the prophecy is about us and that's enough for me to always be a target. But there's someone else who also fits the bill. You see, I got to thinking. What makes a Dark Lord? Well a Lord is someone who has authority. Control and power over other people, right?"

Harry wrote out his thoughts as he explained them and Dobby nodded in all the proper places like the good house-elf he was.

"So a _Dark_ Lord is someone who abuses that position. Well Dumbledore is Chief Warlock and not only did he use his position to seal my parents wills but he never used that power to get Sirius his trial once Padfoot got out of Azkaban. And Sirius can't remember who actually cast the Fidelius that protected us. He _said_ it was mum every time I asked but could not actually remember it taking place."

"Master Harry Potter Sir." Dobby gasped in horror. "That bes the sign of memory mishaps. Elves bes knowing to look out in case their Masters or Mistresses bes knowing things without details."

"Exactly." Harry said forcefully, pointing the pen at his friend as though to emphasis the point. The look of pride he gave the elf was enough to ease the intensity of the word. "Now Dumbledore is also the leader of the Order of the Phoenix. Both Sirius and Remus told me that the group aren't allowed to use anything but defensive spells and stunners so the Death Eaters can be put on trial. But that never sticks so they're constantly having to fight the same people who are still trying to kill them."

"Professor Whiskers not be protecting his peoples!" Dobby's roared, hating how Harry Potter Sir's family was being put in danger. The anger making Harry remember how his friend had faced down Lucius Malfoy to protect him.

"That's right. And as Headmaster, not only did he put me here and constantly have me come back but he also was party everything that's happened since I entered Hogwarts."

"Hoggywarts not be happy with Professor Whiskers." Dobby admitted with sad voice and a pull of his ear. "Hoggywarts bes telling Professor Whiskers about nasty book. Hoggywarts bes telling Professor Whiskers that Dementors bes making students upset and to put up special ward. Hoggywarts bes telling Professor Whiskeys that there be evil teacher hurting students."

Harry wrote down everything Dobby explained. As soon as he reread the notes and fully realised what he had heard, he began to shake at the sheer depth of Dumbledore's antipathy towards the students safety. He threw his glasses onto the desk and ran his hands across his face, letting loose a loud expulsion of air.

"Everything right there is grounds for him to be a Dark Lord, Dobs." Harry said in a tired voice. What Harry wasn't saying, and what Dobby knew because of his bond with the Great Harry Potter Sir, was that everything that had happened to Harry since _that_ night showed the man's true colours even more. "He might not be out killing hundreds but he's certainly using his positions for his own good at the expense of others."

The two friends were silent as Harry stared off into space, his eyes and mind unfocused as what had only been an idea began to fully form into a true possibility. With another sigh he retrieved the glasses and continued dissecting the prophecy, the pen scratching noisily as he worked through the spiderweb that made up his life.

"The next part is parents who trice defied the 'Dark Lord'. Both Sirius and Remus told me how Dumbledore wanted my dad to use the Potter accounts to fund the Order." He explained. Dobby looked on with concern at the rising agitation of his master. "Sirius also told me that the old man even tried getting mum to forgive Snape for calling her that word. Dad never knew but from how mum told Sirius, he suspects Dumbledore had even hinted at her being more than a friend with the greasy git."

Dobby gasped in horror at the idea that the great James and Lily wouldn't be together. In that instance Dobby the house-elf was forever turned against Albus Dumbledore.

When Dobby had bonded with his great Master he had been able to feel a faint connection to other Potter elves. Angry over what he had seen as their abandoning of his great Harry Potter Sir he quickly sought them out only to learn something shocking. The explained how they couldn't feel Harry's magic and needed to be re-bonded with House Potter in order to break whatever was hiding him from them. Dobby and the nice elves had spoken many times about past Potter Masters and they had many stories about Master James and Mistress Lily that Dobby had been able to pass on to Harry until Sirius had managed to take him to Potter Manor. To think Professor Whiskers had wanted that all to go away made the little elf irate. Especially with it meaning there wouldn't have been a Harry Potter Sir!

"They also told me that he tried to get the Potter Grimoire in order to research some of the deeper Family Magic." Harry finished off with a possessive growl. "And when we escaped from Grimmauld Place at Christmas, the goblins confirmed that he's tried getting into the main vaults on more than one occasion."

"Professor Whiskers be evil, Master Harry Potter sir!"

"I think he is, my friend. And he marked me as his equal. It's because of him that I'm the Boy-Who-Lived, the second person this century after himself to be a defeater of a Dark Lord."

Harry put down his pen to stare into his friend's eyes. Gone was the Golden Gryffindor and in his place was the Harry who hid beneath the shiny mask.

"He's taken over my life, Dobs. If we pretend that the prophecy is about Riddle then the old man has still done nothing to train me, nothing to make sure I survive what's to come. Dumbledore has made it impossible for me to do anything but survive while he enjoys his life as the Leader of the Light. I have to kill Riddle to stay alive and defeat Dumbledore in order to live."

"Dobby bes doing whatever it takes to help Master Harry Potter sir!" The elf declared loudly and Harry couldn't help but smile at having someone so passionate in his corner.

"I know you will, my friend." He scooped the notepad up and took a long hard look around the room. "Dobby, are you able to remove runes from a wall?"

"No Harry Potter Sir." Dobby said with deep sadness at being unable to help his Master. "Runes bes messing with elf magics."

Harry nodded as though he expected the answer and rose to stand in front of his wardrobe. Dobby quickly snapped his fingers and the heavy item silently moved to the side to reveal a carved pattern in the wall. It was the side profile of a crow with its wing curled to look like one half of the yin yang. A reverse crescent moon hovered in front of the crow to provide the second half of the Chinese symbol to fully merge it with the Badb Catha of the Morrigan.

The Dursleys were Sunday Christians. They went to church and acted the part without truly living the religion. A young Harry had therefore hunted through the books of the local library to understand this falsehood. It was there that he first came across the ancient dark-bright philosophy describing how deeply interconnected and interdependent dualities were to the world. For a boy who had known almost nothing but the darkness it was a lifeboat in his years before Hogwarts.

His school books had quickly been filled with countless doodles of the yin-yang with each year becoming more elaborate and decorative.

Once Harry had found himself at Hogwarts he almost immediately headed to the library in order to look for answers to his spiritual questions. It was under the caring eye of Madam Pince where he found the Old Ways and was immediately drawn to that of The Morrigan. The stern-looking but surprisingly nice librarian had told Harry how the Potters were notorious for following the Old Ways and he would be doing his family proud if he chose to worship the Great Queens.

That The Morrigan was associated with both Fate, Battle and Death was not a surprise to Harry. Those things were etched deep into his existence.

As his thoughts drifted over the past so too his fingers traced the carved merging of the two cornerstones of his beliefs. He had carved the image not long after being locked in during the summer before second year. It had given him the will to continue as his body's strength deteriorated through lack of food and Harry truly believed he would have died if not for its presence watching over him.

"Dear Lady, please aid in what I am about to do so that I can break free of this prison and take up my role within this world." Harry whispered the prayer as he took a lock-knife from Dobby. It had originally been Dudley's and was the same blade that had carved the image.

Harry worked carefully for the next two hours, carving a rune control system beside the raven. Sirius had explained how his mum had been horrified when his grandfather Charlus admitted that most of the wards around Potter Manor were completely unknown to the modern Potters. For some reason the paperwork for the ward scheme had been lost to time and only a few of the many protections were used. She, being the incredibly smart and stubborn witch she was, had dedicated her downtime to creating a system that would show the owner exactly what wards were connected to a property and finished it only a few hours before Harry's birth. The joke had been it was a birthing present to the next Lord Potter.

Lily had given it to Sirius to hide. His godfather had presented it to Harry the day before they visited Potter Manor the past Christmas. They'd spent all their free time memorising the design and then asked one of the Potter elves to hide the papers deep within a secured room of the Manor. They never wanted it fall into enemy hands. The Marauder and son of a Marauder had even joked with each other that the cluster was powerful enough to reveal the secrets of the Hogwarts wards. Though neither were sure if it was actually a joke or not.

"Well, that's that done." Harry mumbled as he finished the last rune. Dobby had been watching silently and only vanished the the wall particles once Harry completed a rune. The next step was to mark each rune with blood and Harry had to reopen the cut to his thumb three more times before he was finished. Dobby immediately sprang forward to clean and heal the dusty wound.

"And now... _Ward Breakdown. Active._ "

The genius of Lily Potter's work was that the majority of the rune cluster allowed for verbal commands. The air in front of the wall shimmered as a breakdown of the wards surrounding Number Four Privet Drive were revealed. Harry's fingers zipped back and forth across the image to select and highlight different areas and Dobby could feel his Master's anger building at what was being revealed.

"Absolute BASTARD!" The young man roared and his magic pulsed in anger. Hedwig barked in mutual anger for her wizard as the walls cracked and the window shattered under the pressure. Luckily both were easily repaired by a click of Dobby's fingers. "Not only did he put a block on my magic but these fucking wards need to drain whatever I have left to power them. I'm lucky I'm not a bloody Squib!"

Dobby could only stare at the visible aura flaring off his master's body and in that moment realised two very important facts. Harry Potter Sir was even more powerful than anyone knew if he was capable of the magic he was while being hurt by Professor Whiskers' bindings. And Harry Potter Sir had no idea just how special he truly was!

Harry was also oblivious to the elf's thoughts as he furiously scanned the rest of what the cluster was telling him. He growled when he came to the monitoring wards and found a standard Ministry one as well as a more powerful one from Dumbledore. He was forced to accept that every piece of accidental magic he had needed in order to heal himself over the past fifteen years had been recorded. It was even possible Dumbledore had a complete breakdown of every injury.

He was finally able to pull himself away from the display and quickly wrote down everything in the notebook. He left out the cluster itself but its usage and findings were detailed as well as the added note of part of his magic being bound.

"Dobby." He spoke up only after he took deep, meditative breaths in order to not scare his friend. "We're leaving here as soon as I remove those runes. Are you able to fool any Order guards if they come to watch me?"

"Oh yes, Master Harry Potter Sir!" Dobby cried out in happiness at being able to give his Master such good news after what they had found out. "Dobby bes making guardsies think Master Harry Potter Sir bes here."

"Even if it's Moody?"

"Mister Grumpy-Eye's eye not bes able to see through elf magic." Dobby shook his head fast enough to send his ears flying and Harry was almost sure they went in both directions at the same time.

"That's perfect, Dobs." Harry's smile froze as he thought of the monitoring wards. "And you're able to make the wards think I'm here too? Even Dumbledore's?"

"Dobby not bes able to keep Blood Ward charged." The elf explained. "But bes able to make it so Master Harry's magic seems to bes here. It what Dobby used to keep Master Harry from going to Hoggywarts."

Having long ago forgiven his friend for that night, Harry could only beam happily. He only needed the world to think he was at Privet Drive for a week and then all bets were off. Harry turned back to the wall and asked his friend for a large chisel, mallet and a silencing charm to not disturb the neighbours.

It took almost an entire day for Harry to chisel out his carving while Dobby's magic kept the drywall intact in order to preserve the hard work. At the same time Harry chiselled the blood runes into dust with his trusty elf burning and then vanishing the rubble to keep anyone from obtaining the freely given blood. Once the exhausting work was done Harry, and everything he owned, was elf-popped to Potter Manor to the delight of all the Potter Elves. The moment Harry was in the safety of his manor the sheer weight of everything came crashing down on top of him and he fainted through emotional and physical exhaustion. An elf carefully took him to his room while Dobby returned to Privet Drive in order to put his magic to work.

.

.

oOoOo

.

.

 _6th July, 1996 – Potter Manor's ritual room._

The past week had been an exhausting one for Harry. Using an alternative identity, hair dye and a mix of elf magic and make-up, Harold Lilisson had taken his OWLs within the Ministry and, although Harry Potter might be an average student, Harold Lilisson was anything but.

It had been a shock when he found out his true name was _Harold_ James Potter. Apparently his dad was concerned that 'Harry' wasn't Old World enough for some Pure-blood sensibilities and had suggested Harold instead. Sirius had been there when Harry found out from the goblins and explained it all, grinning at the memory.

" _Lily only agreed as long as it would only ever be used on legal documents. That's why the world knows you as Harry. She wanted you to be called Harry so by Merlin you were going to be called Harry."_

Harry had used the information to ask for a second identity that only the goblins would be aware of. When asked about a last name, he had mentioned reading that Iceland continued using both patronymic and matronymic names. Harry wanted to honour his mother and so had chosen Lilisson rather than the obvious Jameson, a move that had actually impressed the Potter Accounts Manager. Apparently goblins had been known to change their name in recognition of a family member who had brought great honour to their clan. DaggerClaw had never known of a wizard doing the same until Harry.

Sirius had laughed so hard he fell out of his chair at the idea of pranking the Ministry. At no point was Harry lying when he said he was Harold Lily's Son yet a good disguise would keep anyone from connecting him to Harry Potter. It had been bittersweet when he took his exams, remembering the joy Sirius had felt at the name yet Harry had still not come to terms with his godfather's death.

Now Harry was ready to rid himself of the binding to his magic that they had found during the Goblin meeting as well as the connection to the dreaded Blood Wards. The ritual was easy enough, the Potter's ritual room powerful enough that it hummed with its own sense of anticipation, and he was ready enough to begin. Yet he still stood, naked except for the loincloth, unable to initialise the final step.

"Dobby, you know what to do with the notebook?" He asked even though he knew the answer.

"Yes, Master Harry Potter Sir." The elf replied from behind Harry. "Dobby bes taking it to Master Harry's Moony and make him take it to Harry Potter Sir's Grangey along with the ring."

Harry had asked Ramses, the Manor's Head Elf, for something to protect Hermione's mind and body. The elf had eagerly returned with a beautiful five-piece sapphire promise ring that would protect the wearer from anything except an Unforgivable as well as keeping out Legilimency attacks. It also doubled as an emergency portkey in case of life threatening injuries. The ring would pull Hermione directly to the entrance hall of the Manor where one of the elves would be able to see to her safety and health.

"Good. And then?"

"Then Master Harry's Moony bes talking to Master Longsbottom and Master Harry's Miss Moon. He must bes finding out if they can bes protecting their minds."

"And Ramses?" Harry asked the second elf as a nervous Hedwig watched everything from the aged elf's shoulder.

"Once Master Harry's bindings bes broken, I bes using Master Harry's wand to deactivate the ritual and take Master Harry to the Master's suite to recover. If Ramses bes thinking Master Harry bes in trouble then Ramses bes getting vowed healer as quick as can."

That last part had been a demand from all Harry's elves when he explained his plan. They had no idea what the full ramifications of the ritual would be and wanted the freedom to get him help. Harry was secretly glad of the demand, knowing it came from their love for him being Just Harry. He knew they had reason to fear since he had added more runes to the ritual in the hopes of harnessing the released magic as one massively focused accidental healing.

In his hand was a small vial of a Blood Adoption potion that Sirius had made up in the event he died before gaining his freedom. While it wouldn't stop Harry from being Lord Potter - it wasn't a strong enough dosage for a full adoption - it would tie him close enough to Sirius to override any chance Draco Malfoy had of attempting to claim the Black Lordship.

Sirius wasn't a Black for nothing and had created plans within plans since he escaped Azkaban. This just happened to be the one Harry hated.

They had agreed the ritual would help with his healing but their calculations never included the extra of the adoption potion. However the goblins had informed Harry, through his Lilisson identity, that Sirius' will was being forced into an early reading. Not only by the Ministry but also Riddle, via the Malfoys, and Dumbledore too for his own special reasons. It seemed that everyone wanted a piece of Sirius' legacy while keeping Harry from his. There was no time time to do the ritual and then take the potion once he had recovered. It was that thought which allowed Harry to swig back the potion and climbed on top of the large rune-covered silver platter that lay atop altar. The vial had been summoned by one of the elves immediately so it couldn't contaminate the room.

He could feel the magic of the potion beginning to work and quickly reached for his wand. "My Dark Lady of Battle and Strife, I ask you this day to lend me your strength to end the battle within. Empower me, Great Morrigan, to help me succeed and bring me one step closer to smiting my enemies. I ask this in your names of Morrigu, Macha, and Badb. So mote it be."

Harry pressed the tip of his holly wand to the activation rune as soon as the last word was spoken. He knew no more as his world was consumed by pain and was barely capable of taking in enough air to scream. Dobby immediately popped away as Ramses and Hedwig watched from their spots as the young man they both loved used his own magic to rip himself in half.

.

.

oOoOo

.

.

 _The House of Granger Residence_

It was a lucky thing for Dobby that the two most important people in his Master Harry Sirs life were spending the day together.

As a man who had intimate knowledge of the Muggle world, the first Blood War, as well as knowing almost everything that had happened leading up to the Ministry incident, Remus John Lupin was the ideal adult to have in Hermione's corner when she sat down and confessed all to her parents.

"So tell me why I don't take you out of that blasted school, young lady!" Daniel Granger roared, not bothering to pretend it was an actual question. "You're smart enough to learn what you need to for a normal education."

"Mr. Granger, do you know of anyone who has been in the armed forces?" Remus asked, completely derailing the man's ire towards his daughter as his mind whip-lashed topics.

"My brother Wendell." Dan answered in a confused voice, frowning over the question. "Fifteen years."

"I've met many in my travels, Mr. Granger, and they all say the same thing." Remus looked the man in the eye in order to make sure the point was made. "There is no such thing as a _former_ officer, be that Army, Navy or Air Force."

Daniel Granger winced and turned away from the intimidating gaze. He remembered his brother saying similar words after his joke about finally retiring fell flat.

"It's the exact same thing for those with magic, Mr and Mrs Granger." Remus pushed, turning his focus to Mrs. Granger in the hope of getting his point across. "Your daughter is a witch and the magical world knows all about her because of her brilliance in both mind and magic. Making her walk away from it does not mean it's walked away from her."

"Mr. Lupin." Emma Granger spoke for the first time in quite a number of minutes. She'd put a hand on her husband's wrist in support as well as letting him know she needed to speak. He unhappily complied and quietly sat back down. "Please, tell us what we can do."

"Right now, be there for your daughter." Remus honestly offered. "However there is a very real chance that you'll soon have to go on an extended vacation for your own protection. And it has nothing to do with Hermione being Harry's friend."

Moony snarled the last bit, completely cutting off Dan's attempt to claim Harry's friendship was the cause for every ill he had heard. Hermione's fists clenched and she was biting her lower lip hard enough to almost draw blood in trying not to lambaste her father for his narrow view on her best friend.

"Perhaps if you explained why?" Emma asked even though it had already been explained.

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Hermione snapped, throwing her arms in the air in frustration. Remus hid a smirk, he had been scenting her rising agitation and wondered when her infamous temper would be let loose. _Merlin she's like Lily._ He thought. "You _know_ this, mum, dad. I'm in the top three across all my classes but I come from non-magical parents. I should be the lowest of the low yet I'm showing up the children of these bigoted murdering bastards!"

"Hermione Jean Granger! Language!" Emma gasped while Dan looked like a fish out of water towards his daughter.

"It's what they are, mum." Hermione huffed, arms crossing and eyes narrowing as she glared back at her father. "Whether I was friends with Harry or not, they'd want me dead for just being me. You being dead for being you and for having me. You really think a Muggle-born who _isn't_ friends with Harry is going to be safer than I will be with people like Remus protecting me?"

Daniel Granger rose again and moved to look out of the kitchen window. He knew he was the type of man who could bury his head in the sand and let the world pass him by. It was his brother who refused to let injustices go, his brother who stood tall against the darkness so that Daniel didn't have to, and it was more than evident that Hermione had picked up on his brother's attitude.

He had no illusions now. He knew his daughter was in love with this Harry boy and that this magical terrorist group had crossed the line. Wendell could be the most relaxed man you could ever meet until you crossed that 'I'll let you go here but no further' point. To Dan's horror he saw that _any_ attack, no matter how small, towards Harry Potter was a line his daughter would not let be passed. Daniel knew he could fight her, he might even win a small victory, but he had no doubts he would lose his daughter completely to the magical world and the boy if he tried to stop her from going back.

"We'll need to sell the practice, Ems." He sighed, wrapping his arms around his waist as though to hold himself together. "Maybe borrow some money on top so we can visit your sister in Australia."

"No need for that, Master Grangey Sir." A squeaky voice announced with a pop that had Dan spinning around to stare at a strange bat-like creature. "Master Harry Potter Sir would gladly pay for his Grangey's parents to be safe."

"Err...Hermione?" Emma asked, pale from the shock of the excited create appear.

"Mum, dad, this is Dobby. Dobby is one of those house-elves I told you about." Hermione explained with a frown as she wondered why Dobby had come.

"Dobby, is Harry okay?" Remus immediately asked, worry causing the many scars marring his face to become more pronounced.

"Master Harry doing Master Dogfather's Marauder plan Broken Chains, Master Moony." Dobby explained with watery eyes and a wavering voice. "Master Harry...Master Harry Sir bes making sure Dobby know what to do once the screaming started."

"Screaming?!" Hermione screamed.

Remus quickly put an arm across the girl's body to keep her in place. His former student snapped her jaw shut and he could actually feel her glare burning into the side of his head as he focused on the little elf.

"Is it as bad as Sirius thought?" He asked through the pain in his chest. Dobby could only nod.

"Was there no way he could wait for me to get there?" A violent shake of the head that had Moony biting back a growl. Harry had given a solemn promise to both Marauders that he wouldn't do the ritual on his own unless he felt there was no other choice. "And you're here following his orders?"

"Dobby bes _good_ house-elf!" Dobby cried out, the tears now falling freely. The three Grangers might not know the specifics but could understand whatever was happening had deeply upset both Magicals. "Master Harry Sir say give Master Moony his notebook. Make sure he go to Master Harry's Miss Grangey with book and ring. It bes up to Master Remus and Miss Grangey to talk to Master Longsbottom and Master Harry's Miss Moon."

While Remus was taking a series of deep breaths, Hermione was stuck on what Dobby had said. Somehow Harry was doing something that was causing him pain but apparently needed to happen and Dobby had been given instructions to make sure both she and Remus met up. All the while hoping Harry recovered from whatever it was he was doing. She struggled in pushing past the idea of Harry being in pain and it was only knowing that if she went crazy it could set back everything with her parents that gave her strength. She was also having to ignore the question of just _when_ her best friend had bonded with Dobby.

"What ring, Dobby?" She asked, suddenly picking up on one of the other things the hyperactive elf said.

"Oh, oh, this ring, Miss Grangey!" The elf bounced so fast to hand over the small box and get back to his starting spot that it was as though he had Apparated. "Master Harry ask Ramses for the most powerful Potter ring to keep evil wizards from hurting or getting into his Grangey's head. Master Harry bes told it bes a promise ring and Master Harry say that it bes him promising to keep his Miss Grangey safe!"

All three Grangers stared at the jewellery box in some type of shock. The four humans were completely aware of what exactly a promise ring was for and all came to the conclusion that Harry apparently didn't.

"Thank...thank you, Dobby." Remus' voice cracked as his emotions warred between fear at what was happening with his cub and laughter at what his cub had done. "I'll take the notebook and you get back to Harry. If he or you need me, come get me straight away."

"Yes sir, Master Moony sir!" The elf gave a fair example of a military salute and popped away to leave a stunned room behind.

"Um...sweetie..." Emma partially squeaked as she attempted to get her daughter's attention. "A promise ring?"

"It'll be what Dobby said, mum." Hermione replied without looking up from the box that she still hadn't opened. "Harry asked for whatever could protect me. I really don't think he understands what this type of ring might mean."

"I can guarantee he doesn't, Mrs Granger." Remus added immediately, the notebook held protectively in one hand. "I know most of Harry's life with his aunt and uncle and disgusting doesn't cover it. Relationship talks would never have been a part of Harry's childhood."

"So this boy." Dan growled in a fair imitation of Moony. "Asked whoever this Ramses is..."

"Another house-elf bonded to the Potter family." Remus supplied. Hermione's head snapped around in surprise and the girl wondered what else was going on in her best friend's life that she didn't know.

"Right. Asked this Ramses for the most powerful protection for my little girl's mind..."

"And body." Remus added with a nod.

"And body, that his family possessed. Not caring one iota that it was an actual promise ring and simply _gives_ it to her?"

"Yes, sir." Remus answered with a wry smile. "And I'm pretty sure I know the ring we're talking about. I believe it's the same one that James, Harry's father, had personally commissioned for Harry's mum when they were dating."

"I assume it was during the first war?" Emma nervously asked and he nodded.

"Their story is well known to everyone who went to school at the time. James fell in love with Lily immediately. We're talking their first year when they were both eleven. But he was a complete...well, a total prat is the nicest way I can describe his attempts at wooing her and I was one of his best friends."

Hermione giggled at Moony's pained expression at remembering some of the more outrageous things James had thought would capture Lily's attention.

"After a few years of failure he eventually started to grow up." Remus smiled softly at the new memory and those listening couldn't help seeing the pain beneath the reminiscence. "When she eventually agreed to go out with him, he was over the moon and immediately sent a letter off to his parents for the ring he had commissioned from the dwarves. _This_ ring if I'm not mistaken."

"Dwarves?" Hermione squeaked, looking down at the box in her lap in equal parts horror and awe.

"I see you understand, Hermione." Remus chuckled before explaining it to her confused parents. "As in any society there are certain designers, manufactures or jewellers who are prized beyond others."

The Grangers nodded, Emma thinking of her the dinning seat her parents gave while Dan momentarily lapsed into daydreaming of the golf clubs he'd always wanted.

"You have that in the magical world. Above any Wizarding smith are the goblins. To have something goblin-made is said to own an artwork in Smithing." He continued to explain. "The problem is that the goblins don't believe in inheritance when it comes to items they've made. They believe the purchase price is actually a life time rental and that the item must return to them upon the receiver's death."

"If daddy bought you a necklace, they don't believe in you then passing that on to me if you died." Hermione explained in a weak voice. To the amusement of the three adults she had started stroking the box as though it was a kitten.

"These dwarves you mentioned?" Dan asked without taking his eyes off his daughter's strange behaviour.

"Are the next tier up from goblins and _never_ make something for a random person, no matter how rich." Remus explained with a sigh and shake of the head. "I honestly don't know how James was able to get the ring made or what it cost him or his family. People could spend their fortunes and never get something like that ring from the dwarves yet there was James about to hand it to this girl he'd been in love with since he was eleven. What I _do_ know is the words he used when he gave it to her."

He cleared his thought for the re-enactment and this time Hermione did look up.

"Lils, I did everything wrong in trying to show you how much I knew you were the woman for me. This ring, and the protections it holds, are my promise to you that I'll do everything right or die trying from now on. This ring is my promise that you truly are the woman of my heart and I want you to keep it even if I am never the man of yours. Keep it so my heart is safe, keep it so the children of my heart will always have my protection even if they aren't of my blood."

It was three dropped jaws that faced Remus when he came out of the memory and he smiled, swallowing back the tears.

"There we were, three fifteen year-old boys." He chuckled as he reached forward to take up his lukewarm tea. "And our best friend, brother, leader, not only came out with that speech but practised on the three of us until he could say it forwards, backwards and sideways."

"What type of protections are we talking about here?" Emma asked with suspiciously moist eyes that she had to blink when Dan's fingers wrapped tightly around her own. She hadn't even noticed him returning to his chair.

"A warning against potions or poisons, protection from some of the nastier magic excluding the Unforgivables and the truest Dark Arts, protecting her mind from being controlled or invaded and an emergency portkey, that's instant transport, to a very safe place where she would get the best care if she was injured. Aside from being wrapped in a bubble and hidden from the world it's the best protections possible."

"And this Harry just gives that to Hermione?" Dan gasped, the desire to protect his daughter warring with being an overprotective father. "What does he want in return?"

" _DADDY!"_

"Daniel Simon Granger!"

Dan Granger folded in on himself to hide from the twin glares of the two most important girls in his life and knew he'd just put his foot in it. Hermione immediately snapped open the box in defiance of his idiocy and then gasped as she shakily withdrew one of the most beautiful rings she had ever seen.

"Mythril..." The best friend of Harry Potter gasped in total shock. "This is mythril."

"Mr Lupin...is that the ring?" Emma asked with wide eyes that somehow widened when the man in question simply smiled.

"Like I told you. Harry probably demanded the most powerful protections for Hermione, made sure it wasn't something ugly, and sent it on its way."

"Honey, I think you should put it on." The Lady of the House said in a firm voice and a glare at her husband. "You can talk to Harry about what a ring like that means later but I'd feel better if you were protected the way Mr. Lupin is saying you would be."

Hermione absently nodded and slide the ring carefully onto her middle finger. It flashed once to resize and the box faded away without anyone noticing.

Remus smile was part happiness at the young couple and part pain at the memories the ring brought back up. A stray thought had Moony wondering why Lily hadn't used her wedding ring's protections that night but he pushed it to the side. Instead he opened the notebook Dobby had given him and saw a note from Harry.

 _Moony,_

 _The real OWLs are done as we planned. I've advanced the plan after checking the wards and finding that they were draining me of - at the very least \- my magic. If my calculations are correct then I'm currently in agony as I'm freed of the chains while you're wanting to come to my side. Don't. I need you, Moony. Protect her for me, explain things that I can't until I recover._

 _You'll have to decide between the two of you whether it's the right time to talk to Neville and Luna. I trust you both in this. Below is the prophecy that started all of this, the very thing that has cost us Mum, Dad and Sirius. I've also described my thoughts on exactly what each line means and who/what it relates to._

 _We're on our own, uncle Moony. Let loose the Marauders of War._

 _Harold James Potter-Black._

The wording sent a spike of fear through the werewolf. The three of them – Sirius, himself and Harry – had spent hours hashing out plans that also included worse case scenarios. Harry's words meant that he now believed that only those plans would get them out of what was to come alive.

He read the prophecy and paled, not even realising that he was now being heavily scrutinised by the three Grangers. Hermione immediately knew whatever he was reading was bad as his gentle brown eyes brightened to amber ferocity.

"Bloody Hell!"

* * *

 **SN: Dan Granger's brother is a direct homage to the wonderful story Angry Harry and the Seven. One of my favourite Harry/Daphne stories on this site.**


	2. His Mother's Son

**AN: This chapter was difficult to write as well as edit. I'm attempting a different approach to this story and that means I'm not quite in the "flow" of writing it as I would be one of my others.**

 **Snaperipper - Snape isn't going to be a hero in this story but he isn't evil for the sake of being evil.**

 **geetac - This story isn't for the faint of hearts.**

 **Bearmauls - I went back over the first chapter and couldn't believe how sloppy it was compared to what I've been putting out. I'm actually accepting cliches in this story to see how I can put different spins on them so hopefully they won't be that off putting.**

 **With all that said, here's chapter two!**

* * *

His Mother's Son

 _6th June, 1996_

Fate and Destiny are finicky and demanding mistresses. They allow Free Will to influence the lives of their Chosen yet force the resolution of their Will without any mercy to the poor mortals involved. The end of a civilisation will always come. A son will always be the death of his father and husband to his mother. The end of some families and the rise of others are brought about through pain and blood.

Fate and Destiny are never to be denied no matter the actions of Man.

Harry Potter was proclaimed to have the power to vanquish his Destiny-sworn enemy and Fate knew that magical potential was all the Wizarding World cared about. So She took action when the soul shard that Dumbledore bound into the infant Harry's scar began to feed off his mind and magic. Fate boosted the baby's magic to compensate for what was being stolen and sharpened the potential of his mind in order to fight the horrible clouding effects of the leech. When the same wizard then bound Harry's magic, Destiny responded by increasing his core by the same amount that had been stolen. And finally, when the sacrificial protections of Lily Potter were butchered to create a static ward around a Muggle home that used the infant Harry as its living anchor stone, Fate demanded that his magic be capable of recharging at the same rate it was being stolen.

Harry, for all the disadvantages put upon him in the days after becoming an orphan, was still fated to be the Dark Lord's equal.

Fourteen Years later and Free Will once more derailed things, only this time falling in Harry's favour. His ritual was designed to strip away the weaknesses he had been forced to shoulder and it did exactly that. They did nothing to remove Fate and Destiny's little 'extras'.

But, like many things in Harry's life, this positive was to be paid in suffering.

Moony, ever the studious Marauder, had taken a measurement of Harry's magic in order to calculate both the intensity of the ritual and how much pain it would put his cub through. This miscalculation would be the werewolf's biggest regret until his dying day.

The ritual first attacked Harry's scar and the binding that held Riddle's soul piece to his mind. A pressure quickly built up above Harry's eyes as pure magical restraints tied him to the altar in order for the thrashing not to throw him off. The build up was quick, a painful wrenching that had him ready to be sick, and then the most famous scar in the Wizarding World burst open to expel a dark, corrosive cloud. The added healing runes took effect and the powerful ritual ripped apart the foreign magics to use their energy to heal the damage left behind.

By this point Harry's world had become nothing but pain. He wouldn't know that the shard had screamed in infinite agony as its dark magic was reworked to heal mental scars while repairing and strengthening the Occlumency shields Severus Snape had wantonly destroyed.

A physically felt _snap_ of magic was quickly followed by a large boom of energy that caused the entire Manor to violently shake. The bindings around Harry's core had been viciously torn apart. His body was surrounded in a bright aura that cycled through every conceivable colour and there wasn't enough air in his lungs to scream. The healing runes took hold of Dumbledore's strongest spell and reworked it for a new purpose. The loyalty, personality and mind-altering potions that flooded Harry's body were forced out of his pores. Purple, brown and yellow puss bubbled as the raw energies vaporised the poisons moments after they were flushed.

The second and far more recent curse scar carved into Harry's right hand by an insidious Blood Quill began to weep. Corrupted blood flowed out of the reopened wound until its effects had been drained from his spirit. The hated words rippled, shifting form as they moved to his inner wrist, and rewrote themselves to read _Will it Be, So Mote it Be._ These new words glowed Avada green and were powered by the Harry's mental strength in surviving the darkness of his life. They would be a permanent testament to his refusal to break.

The ritual poured Harry's now released magic back into his body. It caused broken bones to shatter and old wounds to reopen in order to rebuild him from the ground up. For Harry had made one slight mistake in his reworking of the ritual, one mistranslation of a rune that would change everything. Instead of merely healing, the rune in question also meant a complete rebirth. And with the inclusion of the Adoption Potion, Harry's body would never be the same again.

The raw energies only increased in power and the room was filled with arcing flares of raw magic as the ritual turned its focus towards retaking the Blood Wards. Harry, so lost in the blinding agonies of being reborn, had no idea that his body had began to float above the altar, nor that blood was seeping from his eyes, nose and mouth.

Hedwig, his oldest and most dearest friend, could stand the pain of her wizard no longer. She launched herself from the safety of Ramses' shoulder and dived into the thick maelstrom of magic. The beautiful snow-white owl cared nothing for her own health even as the Wild Magic looked to destroy her. She landed high on her wizard's chest and nuzzled against his blood-soaked cheek, giving him a loving hoot of comfort as her life energy almost immediately drained by the hungry ritual.

The watching Ramses could do nothing for his Master nor his Master's familiar. The elf was frozen in place with fear, forced to helplessly watch with tears falling freely at his Young Master's bravery. He started to wring his hands together as he felt a tension begin to fill the room and the elf wondered if the protections carved into the Manor's very structure would hold against what was happening. The air grew heavy as the ritual took hold of Harry's deep link to the Blood Wards and _pulled_.

There was a great deal of magic surrounding Privet Drive. The most powerful were those blood based that Dumbledore had perverted yet they were not alone. Other magics, some were placed by the Chief Warlock himself, some by the Ministry after Harry's address became known to those in power, hung over the street like a watching vulture. There power was nothing compared to that which guided the ritual. All collapsed inward in a rush of magic that caused Number Four to implode. The backlash would send both the Headmaster of Hogwarts and the Ministry into fits trying to contain the situation and hunt for the Boy-Who-Lived.

Albus Dumbledore had been lazy in linking his other wards directly to the Blood Ward and the Ministry had followed without even checking what was already there. When the ritual wrenched the Blood Magic back to where it was supposed to be, it ended up pulling the rest along for the ride. The result was a wave of intense magic that arrived at the Manor with such force that the aura surrounding Harry burst into a white hot flame. It was pure Wild Magic, undiluted by mortal limitations. It was a sight not seen since the High Elven-Wizarding Wars.

Yet there was still one last part to the ritual that no one considered. The piece of the equation of Harry's surviving the Killing Curse that no one had understood.

The blood protections, the very reason Harry lived that Halloween, were based off the blood, magic and soul of Lily Potter. When Harry drank the Adoption Potion he had willingly opened up his blood, magic and soul to take in a deeper connection to one who loved him. While this was meant to be Sirius, the blood protections of Lily Potter had their own idea.

The re-birthing flames consumed the bodies of Harry and Hedwig. Harry's grew taller and took on the naturally athletic look of the Blacks. The features that had once been the spitting image of James Potter forever shifted. His cheekbones rose, sharpening to be more aristocratic, yet there was a difference compared to the heartthrobs of either James Potter or Sirius Black. Harry's features took on a slightly feminine slant that better fitted his piercing Avada eyes. The uncontrollable raven Potter hair grew out in Black waves to reach his shoulders and then lightened until the locks were a dark crimson. Now the name on everyone's lips when they saw him would not be the Marauder Prongs but that of his wife.

A second mark appeared on Harry's inner arm to cover the area that would mirror the Dark Mark. A raven in mid flight with four words written around it in the elegant cursive script of one Lily Potter née Evans. The words _Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus –_ Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon – gleamed with its own magical light and was her personal mark of love to the son she died for.

The magical flames faded as quickly as they had appeared and Harry unconsciously fell onto the silver platter. The resulting clang snapped Ramses out of his daze and the frantic elf quickly entered the room to make sure his young Master still lived. The ritual was over but its magic held Harry in a status that only ended when Ramses carefully took up the long ago dropped holly wand and used it on the deactivation rune.

To the elf's huge relief Harry immediately took a deep, shuddering breath. The movement jostled Hedwig's charred remains and the burnt carcass cracked and crumbled into black ash to reveal a very small and fluffy baby owl. The small bird shook itself down in an attempt to free itself of its own remains.

"Master Harry bes very happy to know Miss Hedwig bes alive." Ramses sigh in relief at the wide-eyed chick, not even trying to understand how she was alive after everything that had happened. He hated the thought of his Young Master feeling the grief of his familiar's death. The bird's weak trill was both regretful and determined, telling the elf that she would easily do the same if her wizard needed her. Ramses nodded and gave her a sad smile, completely believing the magical bird. "Now Ramses bes looking after both Master Harry and Miss Hedwig. Ramses bes making sure both healthy."

The elf carefully used his magic to levitate the two off the alter and manoeuvred them through the Manor. The walk took on the feel of an honour procession as the other Potter elves appeared to pay their respects to their great Young Master. They had all felt the incredibly magic the ritual had released and had feared the worst. It was only Ramses promising to get Harry help that eased their worries.

The loyal elf tucked his Young Master into bed and then created a small nest on the bedside table in order for the baby Hedwig to watch over her wizard. Ramses was about to pop away when Harry finally stirred.

"Ramses..." He managed to croak, not even opening his eyes. "Madame Bones...the package..."

"It bes done, Master Harry. You bes resting now." The Head Elf promised even as Harry slipped back into unconsciousness. He put a ward over the bodies of both his charges in case something happened while he was away and then vanished in a slightly rush of air.

.

.

oOoOo

.

.

Madam Pomfrey was a caring soul. She had been an emergency trauma Healer during the first Blood War without giving up her job as Hogwarts medi-witch and there had been many times when only a brief nap in her office and carefully timed Pepper-Up Potions were how she remained on her feet. Yet in all her time treating injuries none of her patients had caught her attention in the way one raven-headed boy had. It wasn't the number of times she had treated Harry Potter that was extraordinary. After all, she'd certainly seen some patients far more often than she had him. No, it was the severity of his injuries and the stoic manner in which he bore them that had created the opening for him to worm his way into her heart.

They had shared banter between healer and patient when his need to be doing _something_ meant he tried escaping her domain. They had even shared smiles and laughs with no one else around when his guard dropped and he allowed his humour to peak through. And, worst of all, there had been the horrible times when a nightmare would cause Harry to cry out in a voice that always chilled her soul.

Poppy knew Harry had been abused. The scars and deep medical scans showed it but it was the results of her more potent potions that proved this hard fact. Some of them had caused the poor boy to slip into drug-induced flashbacks of his childhood that always brought tears to her eyes. Those nights usually saw Poppy Pomfrey wanting nothing more than to use all her medical knowledge to make those bastard Muggles pay for hurting such a sweet child.

Oh yes, she was well aware of the horrors of Harry's home life. Just as she was also powerless to do anything about it until the poor boy took those first steps alone. Wizarding Britain still saw children as unable to handle their own care and as such, and because of her Healer oaths, Poppy was forced to only talk about a student's long-term health issues with their parents or guardians. If they were the ones causing the harm then it was to the student's Hogwarts Head of House that she was allowed to turn to.

But Harry was in a difficult situation. Just as being Muggle-raised not Muggle-born meant their society treated him as though he had a full Wizarding upbringing when he obviously didn't, so too did the fact that Harry's guardian was Albus Bloody Dumbledore trap them both. Since Dumbledore wasn't the one hurting Harry, he was the only one she could go to about Harry's abuse.

Each time she raised the issues the damnable man had promised to sort them out and each September she would see the boy underfed and weak from whatever the creatures had put him through outside of her care.

If that wasn't enough she had caught a satisfactory gleam in the man's twinkling eye during some of their talks. In her darkest moments,Poppy had wondered if the only reason she hadn't been Obliviated of the information was that all healers had their minds protected from such action.

Almost from her first year as a medi-witch she would habitually go through her files on the troubled students. It usually took the first few weeks of her summer with most of the time taken up by emotionally recovery before moving on to the next hurt babe. She would lock the Hospital Wing down and meticulously make notes on each one, working out what had been done and what was still needed to be – and what should not be - done for their continuing mental and physical health. Each summer she would rehash the notes and sent an updated copy to her solicitor with the express instructions to be forwarded to Amelia Bones if something should happen to her.

If it was the last thing Poppy Pomfrey did in life it would be to make sure her children were protected. The irony of life had it that she was going through Harry's file when Ramses appeared in her office.

"Hogwarts bes telling Ramses that Miss Healer want to protect Master." The elf said, not caring that he surprised her enough to make her squeak. "Ramses know Hogwarts wise castle but Ramses not care. Ramses need to make sure Miss Healer bes on Young Master's side."

Poppy was taken aback by the determination and rage she saw in elf's face. She knew without a doubt that the elf would do whatever it thought was best for its master.

"Who is your master, Ramses?" She asked with dread filling his stomach at someone being hurt bad enough for an elf to act the way this one did. The elf didn't reply but she caught he's eyes darting towards the open file her hand was resting on. "Is your Master hurt?"

A click of Ramses fingers had the letter she had been writing to her friend in his hand. Poppy couldn't react in time to stop him from reading it and she immediately wanted to curse the elf for its actions. What stayed her hand was the relief flooding his eyes and the tightness in his shoulders fading away.

"Ramses sorry for questioning Miss Healer and for not believing Hogwarts." The elf said weakly, handing back the note without meeting her angry stare. "Miss Healing bes trying to do what's best for Young Master. Master bes hurt, Miss Healer. Master bes doing ritual to break Mister Whiskers control but ritual go wrong. Hurt Young Master more than Master Lupin bes thinking. Ramses needs to take Healer to Master."

If there had been any doubt about who Ramses' Master was, it evaporated at the mention of Remus Lupin. _Things must be more out of control than I even imagined if they needed a ritual to fight Albus_ she realised. Poppy quickly closed up Harry's file and locked in her secured safe with the rest before grabbing her bag.

"Take me to him."

.

.

oOoOo

.

.

 _The Granger Household_

"Bloody Hell!"

"Professor?" Hermione asked in a panicked voice. She was used to the boys at school swearing and she'd even heard Sirius rant and rave a number of times. But the polite werewolf who had been her favourite teacher, outside of Harry of course, seemed beyond such vulgarities. Whatever he'd read, it couldn't be good. "Professor Lupin?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I'm sorry for my rudeness." Remus said, snapping out of his daze. He folded the letter and quickly put it into his jacket's inner pocket before Hermione could snatch it off him. "What I've just read forces me to take things to the next level. You need to get immediately out of the country. I can provide you with a portkey to an unplottable, Fidelius protected tropical island or you can go Muggle and visit another country. What you absolutely _cannot_ do is let anyone here, and I mean _anyone,_ know your plans."

The Grangers paled at his declaration and Daniel's fury at a threat to his family pushed him to ask questions he didn't want to know the answer to. "What the hell's happened now?"

A obvious war raged inside the Marauder. He looked from the enraged man, to the tearful wife, and then the determined yet scared daughter. He finally sighed and knew he had to explain more than he wanted.

"You know about the prophecy orb, the reason Harry was tricked into going to the Ministry." Remus rested his elbow on his knee and ran hands through his hair, trying his hardest to fight against his runaway emotions. The wolf pushed at him to leave the house and find his cub and it was only his honour that kept him from doing so. "Somehow Harry has been told what it says..."

"Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione gasped, remembering what was written on the plate beneath the orb. "It was his initials. He was the one who the Prophecy was spoken to."

That declaration only had Remus growling low. He pinched the bridge of his nose to fight against the feral rage he felt towards the man he once respected but now only hated. Even if Harry was being paranoid, something Moony was still debating with himself over, there were still enough facts to make the old man his cub's, and therefore _his_ , enemy.

"It says that Harry has to fight the Dark Lord, that they're the only two who can kill each other." He explained, refusing to look at the all too smart Hermione. He didn't want his eyes to give away anything to his former student. "Harry doesn't believe the Dark Lord in question is actually Voldemort. He accepts that Voldemort thinks so, that the country as a whole will probably come to believe it, and so it will still come down to the two of them. But he believes the Prophecy is really about him fighting someone else."

"You're telling me." Emma growled low and Moony was impressed by the sound. "That the young man who has just given that ring to our daughter in order to protect her will be forced to fight a wizard so evil you people can't even speak his name? And the bastard isn't even who this prophecy is about?"

"Mum, language!" Hermione gasped in shock. It was usually her father whose language went colourful when angered.

"That's what I'm telling you, Mrs. Granger." Remus nodded with a sigh, his eyes filled with pain. Emma had seen the love he felt for Harry in everything he had done that day and couldn't imagine how she would feel if this was Hermione they were talking about. "And if Harry is right, then the real Dark Lord mentioned is in a far stronger position to target you and your husband. I would suggest taking Hermione with you but she wouldn't forgive you if you actually managed it."

"Damn right I wouldn't." The girl in question grumbled and then winced when it was her turn to be told off about her verbiage.

"So then _who_ is the Dark Lord?" Daniel snapped.

"The man who who put the protective spell over Harry and his parents and put a spell on them to have the Secret-Keeper of his choosing." Remus answered, this time staring straight at Hermione. Her eyes widened and she brought a hand up to cover her mouth as she easily connected the dots. "The same man who allowed Harry's godfather to spend twelve years in hell-on-Earth and put Harry in an abusive home that was almost as bad."

"Harry believes." He continued, turning to stare the Grangers in the eyes as they too worked out what he was about to say. "And with what I've just read, I'm beginning to as well, that the real Dark Lord is Albus Dumbledore."

The announcement caused pandemonium and it took a long time before tempers could cool and answers given. Unknown to all in the house, Dobby had not left to see Harry as Remus had asked. Instead he had gone to the goblins and found the most senior one he could. He explained how his Master Harry Potter Sir was in trouble and needed to get the Muggle parents of his Grangey away before the evil Professor Whiskers could hurt them.

Chief Ragnok was easily able to interpret the jumbled explanation and got in touch with the Muggle extension of Gringotts to book two emergency first-class flights out of the country. He gave a promise to the frantic elf that a protection detail would be waiting for the Granger parents to land, take them to one of the holiday homes House Potter owned, and finally be capable of taking the two anywhere else in the world they wished to go.

Dobby eagerly took the tickets and letter explaining everything, popped to Grimmauld Place in order to pick up a pair of new communication mirrors Master Harry Potter Sir's dogfather and wolf had made, and returned to Miss Grangey just in time to see the end of the chaos.

"Dobby? What are you doing back?" Hermione's question cut across the shouts and arguments as the adults looked in surprise at the elf.

"Dobby bes _GOOD_ elf! Dobby bes getting help from goblins." Dobby quickly handed over the tickets and paperwork explaining everything that had been set up to Emma. "Goblins bes taken Master Harry's Grangey's parents away so bad Professor Whiskeys not hurt them or make them hurt Master Harry's Grangey. Mirror bes so Miss Grangey keep in contact with parents. Dobby make sure to look after Master Harry's Grangey!"

The surprised silence was broken as the two Granger women dropped to their knees and smothered the surprised elf in a double hug while Dan stared at the amused Remus. Moony quickly rose and approached the man in order for his words not to be overheard.

"Dobby gets his devotion to Hermione from Harry." He explained, amazed at what the elf had done in such a short amount of time. "It's only Harry's upbringing that keeps him from understanding what he feels for your daughter, sir."

Dan Granger looked at his two girls and really thought about what he had learned in the whirlwind of a day. A boy cared so much for his little pumpkin that he gave her something of such value it boggled the mind of wizards, let alone him, just to make sure she was as protected as was magically possible. The situation then becomes worse and his man-servant...elf-servant...gives them an immediate route out of danger while allowing them to keep in touch with their little girl. No questions asked. Daniel Granger was forced to accept that his daughter had found a man with the same personality as his older brother and he realised he couldn't be prouder of her.

"We'll go on one condition." He announced, breaking the silence that had fallen. "You're saying there's going to be a war, that my little girl will be in the middle of it. Then I want your bloody word that if things go tits up, you get her out of here."

"Daddy..." Hermione whispered in awe at her father channelling her uncle Wendell. He was even using the similar words she'd heard her uncle tell him had been said when one of his missions went bad.

"Your word, Mr. Lupin." Dan pushed, locking eyes with the werewolf and refused to look away from the amber glow. "If things go bad, you get her out even if you can't bring her to us."

"You have it, sir." Remus promised without looking away. "And I'll even ask Harry to give all his elves an order for that very thing to happen. Trust me, Harry would be just as loudly demanding for her to leave."

.

.

oOoOo

.

.

 _Potter Manor_

It was only Poppy's instincts as a trauma healer that had her immediately scanning the unconscious young man. Her brain couldn't match the changed body with the boy she had been thinking about mere minutes ago.

"Magical Exhaustion, entire skeleton looks to be recovering from some type of non-potion Skele-Gro episode, muscles everywhere are pulled, some torn." She counted off everything her readings told her with a shake of her head. "You foolish boy. Just what did you _do_?"

"Miss Lily gave Master Harry blood protections against evil wizards, Miss Healer." Ramses explained from the bedroom door, the elf nervously wringing his hands together. "Nasty Mister Whiskers bound Master Harry's magic then turned protections into wards. Wards draining Master Harry's magic. Ritual supposed to break binding and wards."

"Yes, yes, that would certainly do it." She agreed in a clinical tone, her Occlumency needed to keep the anger rising over Albus doing such vile things to a little babe. "But what about his looks? This isn't the Harry I know."

Ramses was unsure about how to answer. Instead he watched her retrieve a selection of potions from her bag and gently pour them down his Young Master's throat.

"I need to know." Poppy assured the elf after giving Harry a Muscle Recovery Potion that had originally been designed for professional Quidditch injuries. "I can't treat him if I don't know what's happened and I can already tell it's more than his looks that have changed."

"Master Harry added to ritual." The elf hesitatingly began. "Said magic bes released and could help with nasty childhood. Master Sirius and Master Remus agree but they bes not knowing Master Harry also take Blood Adoption potion before ritual."

"You silly boy!" Poppy closed her eyes in exasperation. She could easily guess what had gone through Harry's head. "You don't add foreign magic to a ritual."

"Miss Healer...how bes Master Harry?" Ramses nervously asked.

"Better than he has a right to be." She grumbled. "I'd like to stay here until I'm satisfied there are no long-term problems. I don't want to risk something happening when I'm not available."

"Ramses make room nearby, Miss Healer. Ramses bes thinking Master Harry and Master Remus bes okay with you here."

.

.

oOoOo

.

.

 _7th June, 1996 – DMLE, Ministry of Magic_

Madam Amelia Bones, Regent to the Most Ancient House of Bones and Head of the DMLE, stalked into her office and froze mid-step. There, sitting bold as brass on her desk, was a box that hadn't been there the night before. She very carefully took two steps back until she was out of the office.

"Moody, Shacklebolt. Front and centre!"

The reinstated Auror along with her second-in-command charged through the bullpen. It was a testament to Amelia's deserved reputation that Moody, once her own instructor, didn't grouch at the command. Much.

"What's got your knickers in a twist so early in the day, Amelia?" He snarled, his magic eye spinning wildly in its socket until it rested on the package. "Oh."

"Yes, oh." She said deadpanned having not taken her eyes off the suspicious box. "I haven't requested my mail from the elves and yet I have something waiting for me."

Moody grunted and slipped past her to enter the office, his wand ready for the slightest attack. Both Amelia and Shacklebolt had their own wands ready to provide him with a covering shield in case the parcel was booby trapped.

"No curses or poisons on the box." He informed them, his spells causing the box to glow an innocent blue. "There's parchment inside as well as a bunch of vials. Potions maybe."

"Can you open it without getting caught in a cross-fire?" Her mind was already working furiously to come up with a list of possibilities. She felt bile rising at the obvious answer of it being a message from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Moody easily conjured a long stick and carefully used it to lift the box's lid. When nothing happened he pushed the lid away from the box and edged towards the desk.

"Well, it ain't potions." He said in a surprised voice that had both Amelia and Shacklebolt raise eyebrows. The paranoid Auror spent the next five minutes using every revealing charm he knew of or had personally modified only to draw a blank. "It's clean, lass. Someone sent you a present."

"Close the door behind you, Kingsley." She commanded and she stalked into her room to find out what in Merlin's name was going on. What she found confused her even more. She carefully lifted the collection of clear vials out of the small box, the silvery wisps inside the vials clearly announcing them as memories. Beneath them was a letter addressed to her and, after yet more scanning by Moody, she opened the parchment and read aloud.

" _Madam Bones,_

 _You are the guiding light of truth in our government. A woman who believes in right and wrong, the law and protecting the innocents. With this in mind it is clear to me that you would be one of the first Riddle, the man who calls himself Voldemort, would need to kill now that he has been revealed to the public."_

"Bloody right, too." Moody interjected. Neither men mentioned how she had stumbled over the name. "He takes you out and we're lambs to the slaughter, girl."

Amelia could only nod at the stark reality being given to her.

" _With that said, guard yourself well, Madam Bones. Guard your niece just as tightly. Last year I taught Susan her extra-curricular DADA lessons. This year I'll be teaching her how to survive Death Eaters._

"Potter." She immediately guessed. Susan had been detailed and energetic in her explanations of the past year at Hogwarts and that most definitely included the secret DA that allowed six teenagers to go toe-to-toe with Death Eaters mere weeks prior.

"The kid taught them?" Shacklebolt asked in shock. "The education department has been going crazy. Apparently the DADA OWL marks are the highest across the board for decades."

"Really?" The eyebrow to Moody's normal eye rose in surprise. "And Potter did that? Impressive."

" _But for all I can teach Susan, she_ needs _her aunt. Her family. Trust your safety only in those you would allow a wand at your back while you were unarmed for I don't doubt your Aurors, Hit-Wizards and even Unspeakables have been infected with a Marked disease. It is one thing to fall to the Dark when standing tall against it, it is another to be stabbed in the back by a supposed protector._

"Bollocks." Moody spat, the idea right up his paranoid alley. "We didn't even think about that. We were sure that was the case last time, we just couldn't prove it."

"Boss. If the kid's right and we've been compromised..."

"Take everyone off my protection detail." Amelia demanded, unable to argue against the potential threat even if she wanted to. "I'll send Susan to the Abbotts until we can check the Department."

" _As you have no doubt worked out, I have sent memories along with my elf delivered post (By the way, according to my understanding Death Eaters throw up anti-Apparition and anti-portkey wards when they attack at night. If you find yourself betrayed or simply in danger, use an elf belonging to a family you trust to get you and Susan away.)"_

"The kid's got style!" Moody laughed in delight, a calloused hand slapping his thigh while the other two had their mouths open at the simple solution. "It's back-up that no one would consider. Get him in here, girl. Pump that boy for every idea he has and I bet we won't regret it."

" _The first memories are from two years ago when the Minister refused to believe the innocence of my godfather. Because of this and other factors, he has died while the country till believed him to be my family's traitor. I beg you, please use these memories to clear the name of Sirius Black, the name of the man my father called his brother in all but blood. Do not let manipulative men and Dark Lords cause House Black to be only what they wish it to be. I need you to help show the world the hero my godfather truly was. The type of man whose love for his godson allowed him to survive twelve years in Azkaban without a trial._

 _Oh, and enjoy the Patronus show."_

"Boss..." Shacklebolt said into the heavy silence. When Amelia looked up from the letter, she found the man looking more sheepish than she'd ever known him to be. "I don't know what's in those memories but the general point is true. Black was innocent."

"And why am I'm hearing about this now?" She glared at the two men, the monocle covering her injured eye doing nothing to soften the harsh stare. A part of her heart she had walled away for years weakened at the idea of her old lover being innocent the entire time. "And the explanation had better not include the words 'Dumbledore', 'Order', and 'Phoenix'."

The winces both me gave caused her to snap. Amelia stood with a force that knocked her chair over and began to pace, her short burgundy hair crackling with sparks of magic.

"I don't believe it." She snarled in perfect mimicry of Moody. "The Chief Warlock knows a member of a Most Ancient and Noble House...Merlin _anyone_...is innocent and I find out that two of my finest know as well. Yet not one of you comes to me and explains this so I can get that man his freedom?"

She spun to face them both and and Moody's instincts had him wanting to reach for his wand. _This_ was the woman who had defied the odds to be the DMLE Head.

"Gentlemen, before I read anything more from _that_." She pointed at the dropped letter. "I want your sworn oaths that this department is where your loyalties lie and not Albus bedamned Dumbledore. If you can't find it in you to give me that then I'll have you reassigned to walking beats until we're either dead or the war is over."

It was Moody, much to the surprise of the other two, who gave the oath first. His faith in his long time friend had eroded after his year trapped inside his own trunk and it had truly crumbled when Black died. Moody had managed to sneak into the Infirmary to talk to the Granger girl about what they thought they were doing running into battle without backup. By the end of the debrief he realised that the bastard Snape had delayed the message for _hours_ in order to let his Death Eater friends play with the kids. When he confronted Albus about the entire thing the damn fool blew him off, continuing to spout his trust in the worthless sack of shit.

So if it had to be between Amelia and Moody's former friend...well it was war and Albus seemed to be thinking they were inviting the bastards around for tea and biscuits.

Kingsley Shacklebolt believed in Albus Dumbledore. The warlock had taken down Grindelwald and stood against You-Know-Who during his first reign of terror. Yet the dark-skinned Auror had still been forced to ignore his questioning conscience. Dumbledore could have easily done something for Black and the entire Order were aware of how bad Potter's home life was. When Alastor Moody, the most paranoid man anyone knew of, gave the oath as quickly as he did, Kingsley knew he had nowhere to hide. Not if he wanted to be able to look himself in the mirror. He gave his own oath in a much more sedate voice that lacked the glee of the older man.

"Good." Amelia nodded, sitting back down to pick up the letter. It didn't mean she wasn't still annoyed with them but they could continue with a relatively clean slate. She didn't have enough good people around her to simply throw either away.

" _The third, fourth and fifth memories are what happened at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. You will see the needless death of Cedric Diggory, the resurrection of one Tom Marvolo Riddle – Rearrange his letters to spell I AM LORD VOLDEMORT – Junior, and his high ranking robe kissers returning to his side. He also names names so do enjoy Malfoy's simpering and hearing your wonderful Wizengamot members announced as terrorists. The second part is the identity of the man who made sure I got to the graveyard and his full confession. Then you'll see the Minister using Dementors to kill the man in question, hushing everything up and refusing believe anything else but his own delusions."_

The trio were silent after the reading until Moody spoke what they were all thinking. "Those memories would be enough to rip Fudge, his bribers and half the Wizengamot apart."

"Merlin." Shacklebolt whispered, eyeing the vials as though they were venomous snakes ready to strike. "Potter sure knows how to rock the boat."

Amelia Bones couldn't believe what was sitting on her desk. While potentially not being proof enough to throw everyone into cells, the memories would send shock waves throughout the Ministry and potentially allow the good guys a chance at fighting. She briefly wondered if she wanted to know what else the letter said and then forced herself to keep reading for having the thought.

" _The next batch of memories are of the Fudge's Pink Toad forcing me to use a Blood Quill in detentions and her insane, bigoted rantings. I wouldn't be surprised if she did this to more students who some in the Ministry considered from bad stock. Do notice the last memory has her about to cast the Cruciatus on me as well as admitting she was the reason for my Dementor visit last summer."_

While not as Earth shaking as the the rest, the three were horrified and incensed by what they had told.

"I'll get Tonks to start an investigation." Shacklebolt promised without being prompted, his magic rising to match his anger at what he had heard. "She's young enough that she can connect to the students."

"Start with Potter's friends and then send her to McGonagall to find out who had detentions. There should be a record somewhere." Amelia commanded, outraged at herself for not doing anything more during the joke of a trial a year previous. "And send someone to Azkaban about those damn Dementors. That's an assassination attempt on the Scion to a Noble and Most Ancient House!"

" _The last memory is as painful as it is recent. On false information I, and five fellow students and friends, were tricked into entering your Ministry in order to rescue my godfather from torture. It was a ruse. The aim was for me to pick up a prophecy orb about myself and a Dark Lord trying to rule and ruin the world. Speak to Moody, Aurors Shacklebolt and Tonks. For while I believe they're loyal to you, they've also been well aware of Dumbledore and his Order being interested in the orb."_

A raised eyebrow caused both men to once again look sheepish.

"Albus wouldn't tell us a damn thing." Moody grumbled, looking away from his former protégé. "Only that Voldemort wanted it, it needed to be protected, and involved Potter in some way."

"For not telling you a damn thing, that's an awful lot of information to take an educated guess on, Alastor." Her tone gave the older man no doubt how angry she was.

The man could only grunt his acceptance at the point while Shacklebolt tried to not catch her ire once again.

" _You'll watch six students fight, stun, and fight again against the Death Eaters until help arrives. One of those coming to our aid being the very man I believed_ I _was rescuing. You will see his death at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, the final fight between Riddle and Dumbledore, and then the information and my reaction to the reason behind everything those two men have done in the last decade and a half._

 _Clear my godfather's name, Madam Bones. Be the woman Susan looks up to and emulates in using the rest of the memories to fight the good fight. Keep Vigilant and stay alive. I truly believe that between us we can win this war and put down a Dark Lord long overdue of retirement._

 _Harold James Potter"_

"Kid's got guts, that's for sure." Moody actually sounded impressed and Shacklebolt had to agree.

Amelia was putting the letter down when a sudden thought flashed through her mind and she instinctively acted on it . A press of a hidden rune and the two visitor chairs lit up, stunning both men and wrapping them in Incarcerous ropes. A quick Enervate later and she was being glared at by a bound and annoyed Moody.

"What the hell is this, Amelia?" He snapped, fighting against the binds. "I already gave you an oath!"

"Only for Dumbledore, Alastor." She coolly pointed out. "Now you're probably dosed up to the eyeballs with the Veritaserum antidote so here's what's going to happen. I'm going to stand behind you, put your wand in your hand and you'll swear that you've never been a Death Eater or sympathiser and have no intentions of becoming either. We then get to give Kingsley some drops and make sure he's good."

To those who knew Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, his reaction to her plan was to be expected. He gave a full belly laugh and readily agreed only if she did the exact thing first. Two oaths later, a Veritaserum questioning on a very annoyed Shacklebolt and the three were back to being mostly friends.

"These memories could end up taking all day to view what with the way things can change around here." Madam Bones said with a sigh, staring at the large number of vials. "So we'll do them piecemeal with the pensieve on projection so no one can sneak up on us."

"Boss, you're really starting to sound like this guy." Shacklebolt teased with a flick of the head towards Moody in an attempt to move past their tension. She chuckled at the joke while Moody grumbled about it keeping them all alive.

"Before we start, I want you both to get Susan and take her to the Abbotts. Relieve the security detail and tell my niece that 'The barrel has been broken.' That'll tell her this is a trust no one but you two situation. Make sure no one knows where you've taken her and inform the Abbotts that they have to initiate the extra wards I had installed."

The two men shared a look and then it was Moody's turn to speak.

"Not a chance, lass." He argued with a shake of his grizzled head. "Send Kingsley and Tonks for that. I'm staying here as your protection detail. We can get working on the memories while they look after Susan."

Amelia glared at the men even as she knew they wouldn't budge on their decision. Potter's worries over a potential attack had them all on edge and nervous. She was about to pull rank when she remembered the plea to stay safe for Susan's sake and mutely nodded in agreement. The boy was right. She was doing all of this for her niece and dying because of stubbornness would not do Susan any favours.

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oOoOo


	3. A Baby's First Steps

**AN: I know, I know, it's been a while in coming. As I've said before though, I won't ever abandon my stories even if they seem to take longer in being updated compared to others. I've cleaned up chapter 1 and 2 (don't worry, nothing major has been changed) and you can now enjoy the first steps of the new Harry Potter-Black. I'm also hoping that I can update this and my other stories much more than I have been lately. Blame real life issues.**

 **texan-muggle - This won't die as it's actually pretty personal for me. I've added to my AN of the first chapter but I'll repeat it here; in regards to this story Morrigu is one aspect of The Morrigan. I'm removing any "Morrigna" that I was using for Morrigu as people kept seeing it as a typo.**

 **Philosophize - The idea is that Harry has been hiding himself. I also don't see his interactions with Neville and Luna as confident but rather driven by his anger and pain at losing Sirius. Harry will need his friends in this story as, while he will be powerful, he isn't all knowing nor perfect.**

 **Katzztar - As mentioned the Morrigan and Morrigna were actually different. I've changed it slightly. I'm glad you liked Hedwig surviving and I hope you enjoy the change in her in this story. I personally don't like it when writers kill her off, it's a personal loss that Harry doesn't actually need and its only done to show how bad things are for him. She won't ever be killed in my stories!**

 **Madrigal-in-training - How Neville is involved in all of this and his hidden relationship with Harry will be explained in the next chapter. Needless to say it isn't just Harry whose been hiding things. Luna's abilities might be explored (not sure yet) but alas there won't be any Luna vs. Lucius in this story. I might try and sneak it into one of my others for you though.**

 **Grovtech - There's absolutely _nothing_ for the Dursleys to come back to. And Snape is going to be a compete and utter dark bastard in this story.**

 **BMS - Half phoenix. She's been influenced by the phoenix tears and magic in Harry's blood but not completely changed.**

* * *

A Baby's First Steps

 _7th July, 1996 – Potter Manor_

It was a much changed Harry who stirred with a painful moan. He knew without opening his eyes that he wasn't alone. The very bushy weight that suddenly enveloped his chest rotating through tearful ramblings and painful slaps told him so was a dead giveaway.

He was eventually able to work out that the gist of the fuzzy attack could be summed up within a single sentence. _Harry James Potter, just what in Merlin's name did you think you were doing?_ Harry was smiling before his eyes opened and deep inside, the love he felt for his best friend flared brighter at her behaviour.

"Hey, you." He said, giving Hermione a weak smile that she returned with a glare. He ignored the croaky soreness of his throat when he saw her beautiful brown eyes were red from tears and reached out to brush the stains from her cheek. "I'm sorry. Moony was supposed to tell you what happened."

"I did, cub." The voice of the man in question said from the door. "However, some foolish Gryffindor ended up making the ritual harder on himself by taking a potion."

Harry groaned and let his hand flop back onto the bed. His body ached everywhere but he actually felt better than he ever remembered feeling. Weak as a kitten but still better.

"How badly did I screw up?" He asked, still not looking away from Hermione. He couldn't. Not until she told him that she was alright.

"The calculations were pretty accurate." She admitted in a soft voice as though fighting against the topic at hand. "And according to what Ramses and Dobby described, the...the pain...was about as bad as the three of you feared."

They continued to stare into the other's eyes, neither realising Remus had slipped away to find the napping Pomfrey.

"What went wrong, 'Mione?" He asked again, knowing she wouldn't be this angry with him unless something did.

"Your guess with the healing runes were lucky, Harry." She answered in a weak, trembling voice that revealed the depth of her fears for him. "The breaking ritual was never supposed to be used with another. The magics involved are destruction by nature, that's the entire point of the ritual. You turned that onto yourself."

"So how am I still alive?"

"By sheer dumb luck and raw power, Mister Potter." Poppy Pomfrey answered as she stormed into the room, wand at the ready for her scans. Harry could only stare at the Hogwarts matron whose presence truly meant he had been in a bad way. "Thankfully for you the combined ritual did everything in the order that provided the best result. All the destruction, as Miss Ganger put it, came first."

"But that's what was supposed to happen." He frowned, looking between the three of them. Each stared back with a look of horror in understanding Harry's mistake hadn't been a mistake at all. "I planned for whatever magic got released to then be used in healing me. It was the entire point of the extra runes."

"Was _this_ the entire point of those runes?!" Hermione snapped, reaching forward to tug on a long lock of crimson hair. Harry's gaze jumped from the hair to her with a dumbfounded look.

"What?" He squeaked. "How?"

"Or _this_?" She took hold of his right arm and turned it over to reveal the inscription that now decorated its wrist. Before Harry could react, she was already throwing the arm away so she could grab his left and reveal the raven with its accompanying script. "Or _this?_ "

"Take a look, Harry." Moony offered the dazed teenager, moving closer to the bed as he conjured a floating mirror for the stuttering boy.

Harry couldn't believe what he saw in the conjured mirror. Where before he had always heard how he looked like his father, he could now easily see Lily Evans looking out from his face. The long, wavy hair was crimson with pitch-black streaks that reminded him of someone he had spotted in Soho years before. The mirror also showed off his new marks and he forced himself to take a closer look at each even as Moony continued to talk.

"The Dursleys' house imploded." Remus explained as Harry brushed his fingers across his own hand writing. The Avada coloured lettering was warm beneath his touch and he felt a wave of strength and determination flow through him each time his fingertips made contact. It was the same thing he felt when he refused to let Vernon's beatings break him. "If you had just broken the connection to the wards as the ritual planned, they would have either faded away or blown outward."

"Somehow, Mister Potter." Pomfrey added when Moony drifted off, his concerned eyes watching Harry be mesmerised by his new body work. Harry was only partially listening as he turned his attention to the other mark. Immediately he was filled with a sense of peace and protection, the very same sense of love that his wall carving had given him when he had been locked up in the second bedroom. "The adoption potion claimed the magic from the Blood Wards. You pulled them into yourself and forced out your Lily inheritance."

"Do you see, Harry?" Hermione pushed and only at her voice did the Boy-Who-Lived look up from his markings. "You could have _died_. All that power was supposed to be pushed away from you but you turned it on yourself. According to Ramses you literally burst into magical flames because of it all."

Harry swallowed hard and thanked the fact he wasn't standing as the world went fuzzy around the edges. He had been so sure that everything was safe, even with the small doubts over the inclusion of the potion. If Luna had been there she would have been able to explain that it had been Outside forced nudging him in his actions. But she wasn't.

"There's something else you should know, Harry." Remus spoke up after letting him stew in his thoughts for a few moments. When Harry looked at his uncle Moony, the werewolf nodded towards the bedside table. "Hedwig got caught in the fire."

Harry's head snapped to the side and the fear at his beloved owl's death caused his heart to stutter. The agony died as quickly as it came, replaced by confusion when he saw the small owl chick with familiar amber eyes staring at him.

" _Hello, my Harry. You look different."_ A strange voice spoke in his mind.

"So do you, Hed." He immediately replied. The surprises had come so fast that Harry wasn't even taking in the fact she was talking to him. The others looked at each other with wide eyes. "Are you okay?"

" _I feel different, my Harry. I think your blood changed me."_

"My blood?" He frowned, only to see images of how his owl had turned into what she was now. Three frowns followed the one-sided conversation as they attempted to put the information together. "Huh...the phoenix tears. Makes sense."

Those were his last words before the shock grew too much and he passed out. Hermione gasped, Poppy tutted while Remus' chuckles were joined by small trilling noises from the baby Hedwig.

"He simply fainted, Miss Granger." Pomfrey explained to the fearful Hermione. She shook her head at the state of her favourite patient. "It's no wonder really. Being magically and physically weak always opens one up to fainting episodes. Especially when you include the emotional shocks young Mister Potter has had."

Young Miss Granger gave a very unladylike snort and grumbled something similar to 'What about _her_ emotional shocks.' The adults gave each other a knowing look.

"Would you do the honours of escorting an old wolf to the kitchens, Poppy?" Remus offered his elbow and then elder woman smiled as she slipped her arm into it.

"You're not that old, Remus. I've got plenty of memories of the mischief _you_ caused and blamed on those other rapscallions."

Moony's laughter remained after they had left and Hermione was once again staring at the boy she loved with fear over his health. Now that she knew he wasn't going to immediately die on her, she allowed forbidden thoughts to intrude on her vigil.

"You'd never have asked me to go to the Yule Ball if you had looked like this." She said in a small defeated voice. As was Hermione's way, she went through the physical changes in a logical progression. Often she would unfavourably compare a part of the new Harry to her own image. She didn't realise that she was still talking aloud nor that a young owl and a somewhat conscious boy listened to every word, especially those expressing her feelings towards Harry.

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oOoOo

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"So he's stable now, Poppy?" Remus double-checked. The two had settled in the kitchen with large mugs of hot chocolate that Ambrosia, the kitchen elf, had insisted on making them.

"Physically he's in better health than I've ever seen him, Remus." The Hogwarts healer explained from her chair. Remus had remained standing, preferring to lean against a small island and Poppy guessed it was a position he had taken often in his youth. "The changes will take some time to get used to. It's magically that has me concerned."

She took a fortifying sip of her drink, not feeling bothered by the amber tint of Remus' gaze. She'd long grown accustomed to his 'furry little problem' and had even been forced to subdue his werewolf early in the boy's Hogwarts time.

"That young man suffered complete magical exhaustion in his first year. That was from trying to save that blasted Stone but it was also the very thing that saved him." Moony and Hermione had informed her of everything that had happened in her young charge's life once he had re-entered the Wizarding World and neither had been surprised to learn how little Dumbledore had shared with her. "It almost happened again when he took on those horrible Dementors. This might surprise you, Remus, but there's hope from that."

The man in question could only blink and wait for the other shoe to drop.

"There are reasons for the breaking of any blood connections must be done with a healer present." Poppy put her mug on the table and leaned back, crossing one leg over the other to give him a penetrating look. "Just as there must be someone nearby for an adoption ritual and _especially_ the breaking of bindings. Can you tell me why?"

"Because they all affect the person's core." He sighed with closed eyes, pinching his nose as the full pieces fell into place. "Three different rituals that all affect a person's core."

"Exactly." She huffed, still annoyed that Harry's elves hadn't come to her _before_ he got started. "Now throw on the foreign magics from both Sirius and Lily, perhaps even some of _Albus'_ own magic, and you have a mixture that should, by all rights, rupture that young wizard's core."

"You think that his problems in first and third year allowed his core to strengthen against a rupture?" Remus guessed.

"That actually makes sense." Hermione interrupted from the doorway leading a still weak Harry. One of his arms was wrapped tightly around her waist while the other bent into his body as a sling to carry the baby Hedwig.

The teenage girl waved the adults off as they looked to move closer, preferring to ease Harry into the nearest chair without any help. She immediately sat next to him and two new mugs of hot chocolate appeared on the table.

"You mentioned Dumbledore's magic?" Harry frowned, gently stroking Hedwig whose soft trilling hoots calmed his frayed nerves.

"It was his magic that bound yours, Harry." Hermione answered, concern written all over her face at further upsetting him. "It was also his magic that changed the protections your mum put on you."

"So I have a part of his magic inside me?" There was a sense of panic in the question and Harry's voice had risen at the end.

"No, cub, not at all." Moony locked eyes with Harry so the boy knew he was being truthful. "Your magic is your own. It's more likely that all of this has affected your magical signature."

"Harry." Hermione bridged the distance between them by taking his hand in hers. Harry immediately looked to her and neither noticed the amusement shared between Remus and Poppy. "It means you took in some of Dumbledore's magic, yes. But also Sirius' and I think even more of your mum's."

"Excellent deduction, Miss Granger." Poppy praised. "And before you ask, Harry. All this means is anything that's linked to your old magical signature will no longer work."

It was only then that Harry tore his eyes from Hermione's so that he could look into the distance. "I think that's only my wand."

"Are you okay with that?" The bushy-haired girl asked with concern.

"Yeah, yeah, I think I am." Harry admitted after truly thinking it over. He looked around at those supporting him and once more ending up facing Hermione. "I can either use it as a backup or put it away somewhere. You know I can't duel Riddle with it."

"I know. The Priori Incantatem."

"Hermione and I received a Gringotts letter about the will reading." Remus' sombre voice announced a change of subject. "It's for the twelfth."

"And we know Sirius has named me his heir." Harry sighed, fighting back the pain from his abused body. "Madam Pomfrey, what do I have to do to be healthy by next week?"

The maniacal grin the medi-witch gave caused Harry to cringe and baby Hedwig to laugh.

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oOoOo

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 _10th July, 1996 – Wizengamot Session_

The Most Ancient House of Bones had a long, dark history and was nowhere near the Light family that most people believed. The origins of House Bones lay in the necromantic warriors of the ancient Picts and their Manor, the Ossuary, was the truest testament to their ferocity and lack of mercy when facing enemies. The night before had seen a large group of Death Eaters attacking the ancestral home of House Bones but with her security detail's loyalty oath-sworn there would be no sneaking the enemy in with lowered wards by a traitor in Amelia's future.

The attack failed almost as soon as it began. The Head of the DMLE had simply activated the War Wards that were created almost entirely on Family Magic and the first wave of her foes fell screaming. Fifteen Death Eaters were taken down before the rest ran with their tails between their legs. The magic of every Death Eater who got hit by the initial protections had been fed to the ever hungry Ward Stone beneath the Ossuary. The partially sentient magic eager for more enemies to fall against its might.

Amelia was delighted to find out that the Carrow Twins, two of You-Know-Who's Inner Circle, were among the captured, and now squib, fifteen. They had immediately been handed over to the Unspeakables for interrogation.

Her problem came the next morning. Fudge was about to be thrown out of his role as Minister and she was a shoe-in to be voted as his successor. You-Know-Who's follows might have had enough political power to cause any election to be difficult but they didn't possess enough to put through their own choice. Dumbledore's choice was Amos Diggory but the Chief Warlock had been distracted for the last few days and wasn't influencing the backroom politics as much as he usually did. Not only did this mean that Amelia was now the front runner, but her 'easy' victory the night before over the forces of the Dark had practically already given her the spot.

Well there were also those crying out for her arrest at using such magics but those voices went silent when around any of her Aurors.

As the Wizengamot settled down the formidable woman took the time to think about happier things. Between herself, her loyal group of protectors and the aid of the Department of Mysteries, she had finally worked through the last of the Auror and Hit-Wizard Corps. Loyalty had been double-checked, Dark Marks had been hunted for and even those who casually spoke to Dumbledore had been noted. As soon as she was voted Minister, Shacklebolt and Moody would force every one to either take a loyalty oath to the upholding the law first and the Ministry second or be sent packing. Those who were truly traitors would find their escape from the Ministry stopped by the Unspeakables.

Dumbledore started the session and it was with a three-fourths majority that had Amelia Bones standing proud to accept her new post as Minister of Magic.

"Wizengamot Members, I wish to thank you for your trust in me during this critical time in our country's history." Her steady voice filled the large room even as she kept a control on its volume. "I will be honest with you all, I had only wanted to take up the post of Minister once this war had ended. And make no mistakes, Lords and Ladies, we are at _war_!"

A ripple turned into a wave as the Wizengamot realised exactly what they had done. Dumbledore looked on with a blank face but there was no twinkle in his eye. It was clear to those who really knew him that he wasn't enjoying her words any more than some of the Houses.

"It was explained to me, in language even an Auror recruit could understand, how much my wishes didn't matter in the grander scheme of things." The Aurors around the chamber, there for both her protection and to keep the peace, chuckled as they easily worked out who it was that had said that to their Boss. "It was also explained how, as Minister, I could aid in the war effort far more than my role as Head of the DMLE."

Her steely gaze bore into every pair of eyes that dared look back at her. Her always present monocle only made the glare more imposing.

"As such, I hope this body understands that what I am about to do is not what I wish to as Minister but instead it is what I feel is best for our country." The small murmurs at her speech quickly grew as the quicker thinking listeners realised what was happening. "But in order to come out victorious against the Dark I am immediately re-activating the Wartime Initiative!"

The Wizengamot exploded. People from both sides of the magical spectrum were on their feet screaming to be heard and demanding her instant resignation. Amelia didn't care. She did what she felt she must, not what she felt others wanted her to do.

As the noise continued to grow, almost no one took notice of the large Ministry seal situated behind the Chief Warlock's chair. Where it usually looked like a simple 'M' with a wand for its middle leg, the seal glowed and changed so that all three legs were that of active wands. Magic had declared Amelia's request valid.

The Wartime Initiative gave the Minister the power to make sweeping changes and push through new declarations that would be valid up until the Initiative had been deactivated. It had been Bagnold's throw of the dice towards the end of the first Blood War and was what allowed her to give the Aurors free reign in using the Unforgivables.

It was the job of the Chief Warlock to keep Wizengamot sessions from falling into a farce. Shacklebolt owed Amelia five gallons as she waited on the man who was giving no signs of stopping the chaos. Instead, the Order of Merlin owner was glaring at her with open rage. She simply smirked back. Any chance she had to break the man's genial mask was one worth taking.

The noise eventually died down on its own accord - High Society never let themselves lose control for _that_ long – and Amelia was able to continue her speech.

"I promise you all this; the only unilateral decision I will make will be with the focus of stopping the man who takes the name Lord Voldemort." Dumbledore paled at her wording, frantically trying to work out if she knew the Dark Lord's origins. The listening crowd all shivered at the use of the feared name. "And before we close out today's emergency session, I wish to prove it by bringing to you a case illegal imprisonment. Members of the Wizengamot, one of your own spent over a decade locked in the High Security Wing of Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit because of the actions of one of the Dark Lord's followers."

When the Wizengamot lost their minds at this announcement, Dumbledore wasted no time in sending out a sound blast from his wand in order to share his views.

"Amelia, please." He asked in his most grandfatherly voice. "I really don't think this is the time."

"Isn't the _time_ , Chief Warlock?" Tiberius Ogden's distinctively deep voice boomed. The man had left his position within the esteemed body the previous summer in protest as Fudge took control of Hogwarts. The current session was his first back and his passionate belief in doing what was right was evident for all to see. "Do please tell us when would be a better time to talk about a man's lost freedom? Or shall we wait until it's one of your friends? Could it be, Chief Warlock, that you're advocating throwing any of us into Azkaban without a proof? Perhaps if we disagreed with your decisions?"

Dumbledore floundered at the verbal attack and this time the Wizengamot turned on him in their ire. He mentally winced at his verbal lapse and knew he had to allow the farce that was to come. An Auror stepped forward to place a solicitor's pensieve out on the waiting table while an Unspeakable stood beside her in readiness.

"The man in question did not have a trial, ladies and gentlemen. It was believed he committed the crime, was taken into custody and within two hours flung into an Azkaban cell." Amelia set the stage while building up suspense, her personal pain and anger over the death of her former love empowering her words. "The memory you are about to see has been checked over by high ranking Obliviators as well as Unspeakables well trained in the study of memories. It has been proven to be real with no manipulations at all."

"Madam Minister." Dowager Augusta Longbottom spoke out, rising to bring all eyes to her. "I notice you have not said this poor man's name."

"I haven't Dowager Longbottom. The man in question suffered for twelve years and only last month died a hero's death in the defence of this very Ministry." Amelia took a pause and for a brief moment her inner turmoil was there for all to see as she announced the name they were waiting for. "The man I speak of was Sirius Orion Black, Lord Apparent to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and the crime he was innocent of was the betrayal of Lord and Lady Potter."

The previous loss of control was nothing compared to what happened once she had finished speaking. The Light and Grey families lost their minds, all clearly remembering how Sirius' guilt had been promised to them. When they then saw the distinct lack of reaction by some of the Dark families, things threatened to spill over into spell-fire.

" _ENOUGH!_ " Amelia roared, her Sonorus empowered voice causing everyone to wince and settle own. The Aurors stepped forward and looked at the more vocal chairs, ready and willing to stun if needed. "Play the memory."

Albus Dumbledore had expected the memories to come from either Sirius or Remus, a last roll of the dice by the two pranksters. He was well aware that both men had been looking for ways to circumvent his authority and power in order to take control of Harry. What he had not expected, nor had he imagined it happening, was for the memory to obviously come from Harry himself.

The Wizengamot watched in horror as three third-year Hogwarts students faced off against an escaped Sirius Black only for the supposedly dead Peter Pettigrew to be revealed as a pet rat. Those with female relations in Hogwarts immediately felt horrified that a fully grown man had been running loose in a school and promised themselves to get the girls to see a healer.

They watched as a young Harry fought against the need for revenge against the man who turned him into an orphan. They felt sick as over a hundred Dementors looked to Kiss the Boy-Who-Lived and the Man-Who-Was-Innocent only for a powerful Patronus to drive them all away. Those who hated Cornelius Fudge found another reason to do so when the former Minister promised Snape an Order of Merlin. Those who had bribed the man tried to make themselves appear as small as possible.

At the end of the memory it took barely three minutes for Sirius to be posthumously declared innocent as well as a settlement given to his Next of Kin. Amelia wore she would see it given to Harry Potter even if he got nothing else from Black's will.

The end of the Wizengamot session had Amelia attempting to get back to her old DMLE office in order to implement the next stage of her plan to clean up her Department – She still considered herself a DMLE woman. The DMLE budget would be getting a massive increase and she wanted to make sure the new influx of recruits couldn't be seduced by the bad apples still in the corps. Unfortunately for the new Minister Albus Dumbledore had other ideas.

"Ah, Amelia." He gave her a congenial smile that caused her hackles to rise and for her fingers to itch for her wand. "I find it most interesting that you used young Harry's memories today."

Mad-Eye and Tonks had formed up behind Amelia as her constant bodyguards. It had originally been Shacklebolt until she demanded Kingsley to take over her position as DMLE Head, shipping the far too politically minded Rufus Scrimgeour onto protection detail for the Muggle Prime Minister. The steely-eyed Minister and the two Aurors stared at the Chief Warlock for a moment and they realised that the infuriating man had said all he was going to. It didn't improve their thoughts of the man.

"Was there a question in there, Dumbledore?" She half sighed, half growled. "As you can imagine, I have a lot to do and not much time to do it."

"Well, yes, Amelia." He answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. There was a slight hardness to his voice that revealed a breaking of control. "I'm wondering when it was that Harry came to see you for you to take the memories."

"Boss." Tonks spoke up from her precisely three steps back. She had been shown the memories Harry had given and her worship of Dumbledore had crumbled to be replaced by the notorious Black anger at the man not giving her mother's favourite cousin his freedom. Andromeda Tonks had been inconsolable at the news of Sirius' death and innocence, crying herself to sleep when she had delivered the news. Anyone who made her mum cry was an enemy for life to the young Metamorphmagus. "I think he's admitting that he's lost Harry."

"Is that true, Dumbledore?" The Minister's eyes narrowed dangerously. She was well aware that the summer residence of Harry Potter had somehow imploded from a massive ward failure and that he had not been seen since the end of school. "You _are_ Mister Potter's Magical Guardian. Do I need to ask for Kingsley to open up an investigation?"

"No, no, not at all, Amelia. I know exactly where young Harry is." Dumbledore assured her. He was almost positive that Harry had somehow met up with Remus Lupin as well as Miss Granger. The former was suddenly out of communication while the girl's parents had vanished with their properties sold through the goblins. "I was merely concerned. I would like to be there the next time you and he talk. It is my right as his Guardian after all."

"I can promise you, Albus, that the very next time I speak to Mister Potter, I will be wanting you there." Amelia wolfishly grinned before walking away to leave the Chief Warlock blinking. He was sure her words had almost been a threat yet he couldn't see how nor why.

What Dumbledore didn't know was that Tonks had confessed to her Boss about her job of 'guarding' Harry the previous year, what she had observed with how the Muggles had treated the poor kid and her suspicions about how bad it had been after speaking to the Weasley twins.

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oOoOo

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 _That night – Hogwarts_

Albus Dumbledore was furious with himself. The circus show of Madam Bones becoming Minister and clearing Sirius' name had thrown him for a loop long enough to have him forgetting to ask about the mutt's will. By the time the Chief Warlock remembered, the woman and that traitor Kingsley had completely shaken up the DMLE and refused to give him the time of day.

The annoying bint Nymphadora had also been far too close in her snide remark. He had wanted Harry as far away from Sirius' will reading as possible in case the headstrong idiot had tried emancipating Harry. Now though Albus was actually _hoping_ the boy would show up so that he could once again gain control of the Prophesied Child.

Dumbledore knew he would be viewed as a monster if it came out what he had done to the Boy-Who-Lived. The sad truth was that only he knew how to lead the Wizarding World, and then finally the entire world in general, to the Utopian future he had imagined in his youth.

His plans had been aided by stopping the misguided attempts of Gellert but the Wizengamot hadn't rallied around him the way they were supposed to. When Tom Riddle began his rise, Dumbledore had seen the home-grown threat to Magical Blood as the perfect way of being the Light's rallying point. However, to his greatest shame, he had underestimated Tom's viciousness and had been lucky when Fate released the Prophecy.

But of course, how could a child hope to bring down a Dark Lord? Especially one the power and cunning of Tom. Dumbledore knew that idea had been sheer folly but yet, until the actual meeting between the two could take place, Dumbledore knew he was powerless to stop the rising Dark. And Albus Dumbledore didn't do powerless. So with a little misdirection and a lot of magical nudging had the confrontation happen far earlier than Fate's original date. That the result was only a lull in the war was good enough and once he put Harry in front of Tom's wand and then destroyed the much weakened survivor, the world would fall to its knees in understanding that he knew what was best for all.

Yet now he had to hope that the broken boy appeared at Gringotts for the will reading before he could get on with his plans.

The old man was pacing in his private quarters that sat alongside the Headmaster's office. His twisted thoughts were broken at the sudden feeling of someone else being in the room with him. Albus Dumbledore spun far faster than his years should have allowed and pointed the Elder Wand at the heavy shadows. What he saw caused the spell on his lips to freeze.

There, hidden as though partly merged with the darkness itself, was a pale woman with long, blood-red hair. There was a brief moment when he thought it was the ghost of Lily Evans but the long gone Lady Potter had never looked so fierce nor dangerous as this woman did. Her long, thin fingers of both hands were wrapped around a large staff and there was a pronounced bending of her tall body as though she was of great age despite her youthful looks. The black cloak wrapped around her slender form helped hide her in the shadows and she had a crow on each shoulder as well as one sitting on the staff's head. All four had their heads bowed.

"Who are you to enter my private rooms?" The warlock demanded, his aura flaring to show off his power. The woman scoffed and the sound was like that of a breath putting out a wayward candle. The effect was similar and for the very first time in his life Albus Dumbledore found himself without magic.

Fear like he had never imagined gripped his heart.

"You are like a child playing with an adult's toy." The woman spoke and her voice was that of old paper and summer leaves in the wind. "I gave you a gift, Albus Dumbledore. I spoke Words that you were meant to follow and you twisted what I Saw and Spoke for your own ego."

The great man bristled at being talked down to but he was too scared at the loss of his magic to speak. When the woman and her ravens then rose their heads to look at him, he knew that his silence had been for the best.

All four pairs of eyes were pitch black, the colour of the abyss at the end and beginning of everything, and Dumbledore shivered at the force of _rage_ he felt in them. He knew now who he was in the presence of and the name did nothing to ease his fears.

 _Badb, Goddess of Prophecy._ His inner voice whined in panic. The Goddess' smirk had him knowing what a mouse would feel when faced down by a predator.

"And it is because of my Snake that I do not strike you down, mortal." She proclaimed, proving that she could read his thoughts. "For now it is Macha who guides my Child, raising our calf into his true position."

He went cold at the pronouncement, somehow knowing that it was Harry whom the apparition was speaking of. He dreaded to imagine what would happen if Harry came into his true inheritance.

"But know this. The eyes of Morrigu have turned in your direction and my Snake shall destroy you. Enjoy what remains of your life."

Suddenly the Morrigan exploded into a murder of crows that flew straight at him. Dumbledore ducked and covered his head with his arms only to feel nothing as they vanished back to their Mistress. The birds might have left but not before filling the room with their mocking caws. The irate wizard could once again feel his magic and roared, a pure pulse of his power silencing the mocking calls.

The experience had left him shaken and weak, two feelings he loathed to feel. He quickly pushed the entire thing away, making himself believe it was nothing more than his imagination or a prank from the two Weasley twins. To accept anything else would force him to question his every action and Albus Dumbledore refused to do that.

He knew exactly what he needed to do to refocus. The powerful man knelt before an altar that was powerfully hidden by a Fidelius Charm. The only sign of his own beliefs. The altar contained three of the most important objects in his life.

On the left was his original wand, given up when he won the allegiance of the Elder Wand. Ever since his battle with Grindelwald, Dumbledore had researched deeply into wand lore in order to perform rituals on the wand in case the Death Stick was ever lost so that he wouldn't suffer a loss of power when using it. On the right side of the altar was the true Philosopher's Stone. He had tried making his own since his time apprenticing with Nicholas Flammel but had only ever created a stone with remarkable healing properties, never one that held off Death. It was his poor imitation that Harry had almost died protecting years before. Now Albus merely had to wait for the Flammels to finally run out of their elixir and he could announce his success in creating a stone of his own.

No one need know he hadn't. After all, there was no one better to guide everyone to their future.

The centrepiece of the altar was the head of a woman, magically preserved in a ritual that only the true worshippers of Mimir, The Wise One, knew of. It was at this symbol of his god's power that the Headmaster of Hogwarts focused his thoughts and magic.

"Mimir, O Wise Rememberer, I ask that you bring the boy to me tomorrow. Show me the way to the sacrifice so that I may offer him to Fate and contain Tom until he has seen the error of his ways. Only then shall I be able to lead these sheep into a Greater World, a world that will be for their own good."

He thought again at the visitation and ironically it was the very show of power that proved the experience real that had him finally decided it wasn't. No one was powerful enough to take away his magic. Not after all the rituals Albus Dumbledore had done to make it grow.

The semi-sentient castle that was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry cringed at the type of man who was her Headmaster and did its own praying to see his downfall.

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oOoOo

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 **SN: I know it's been long in the waiting. I'm hoping the next chapter won't be so long a delay and I hope you enjoyed.**


	4. A Will and a Word

**AN:** H **ere's the next chapter. It took a while to work through and I'm still not entirely happy about the end result. It's a bit heavy in places but the important information is given. And once again, do forgive any grammatical errors you find as my Dyspraxia really hates the structure of language.**

 **A few of you have made guesses about the female head on Dumbledore's altar. I had played around with it being Lily's but rest assured it isn't. However it will be someone who is/was connected to one of our characters.**

 **carick of hunter moon - A huge thank you for that link. I've been dancing around Runes for a while now and you've given me a chance to actually explore the subject in my stories.**

 **Bearmauls - I see Hermione as being a girl who would compare how she "measures" up to the boy/girl she's interested in. In her eyes Harry became even more out of reach even though we know that's not the case. I understand what you mean about the oaths and they won't be a massive part of any of my stories, certainly not to where they'll cause problems.**

 **MilandaAnza - Mischief Managed!**

 **Katzztar - I couldn't agree more with Hedwig being killed like that. I simply refuse to kill her off since any plot reason can be worked out another way. The way I see the Guardian issue being is simply no one bothered to talk about it. They all decided to continue as it was and Harry has no idea to question the fact. It's the same with the school, there's no true investigation which means no one bothers to ask important questions. However to answer the questions - It would be Harry representing a different school but still contracted to Hogwarts. This way the teachers would still be able to say "sorry, can't help you."**

 **Stormbow - I love how someone picked up on the imagery! Yes, it's all about Dumbledore considering himself the All-Father with the head his own version of Mimir. I will also say that the woman was not a willing offering and this messes with his ability to use it for gaining answers.**

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A Will and a Word

 _12th July, 1996_

The following few days had been hectic ones for the small group within Potter Manor. Poppy's answer to Harry's question was bed rest, bed rest and even more bed rest. She kept him supplied with a river of healing potions and constantly hovered whenever he was up and moving about. Harry found himself tag-teamed as Poppy's care was backed up by Hermione's constant fretting over his weakened state. Although secretly Harry found he wasn't too bothered about how much his friend took care of him.

There had been an initial clash between the teenagers and Poppy with questions shouted more than asked over why Harry's mistreatment at the hands of the Dursleys had been ignored. It took Remus as the mediator for the two youngest to listen and understand how tightly Dumbledore had controlled the medi-witch using her oaths. Harry had immediately seen the guilt that was eating Poppy from the inside and forgave her with Hermione's forgiveness only coming once it was obvious that the woman was fully on Harry's side.

Remus secretly pitied anyone the girl was able to get her hands on if they ever hurt Harry.

As the dust settled from the epic argument the four grew closer. Poppy became a mothering aunt to both Harry and Hermione, one who still knew how to laugh and joke, while Moony played the jokester uncle who still knew how to care for the 'children.' The two adults made a good combination as far as Harry and Hermione were concerned.

The adults used the time to watch the interactions of the teenagers. It was obvious that they had feelings for each other and they were surprised that it appeared to be Harry who recognised Hermione's signs and not the other way around. A late night confession and request for help from Remus explained how Harry had overheard a Hermione's distraught confession of feelings after his fainting spell. He now wanted to show the bright witch what she meant to him but knew it was a long-term project with the will reading so close.

The day came far too quickly for the worried Pomfrey and not quickly enough for the impatient Harry. She gave him an early morning assessment and had to begrudgingly give consent for him to attend as long as he came back to rest.

"Oh course, Poppy." He promised in a way that had her harrumphing in disbelief. The lopsided grin he flashed her didn't help.

Moony had talked Harry into wearing some of James' resized clothes in order to convey the proper image of a Lord Apparent. These, along with his new look, almost guaranteed that no one would recognised the crimson-headed youth as one Harry James Potter.

The experience of putting on the perfect, if a little outdated, clothes brought up a large number of emotions for Harry. The very idea of wearing them had threatened to cause a small emotional breakdown that a long walk had managed to hold off but, as he and Remus waited by the fireplace for Hermione to join them, he couldn't deny the results. His long hair was loose, benefiting a young Lord who was without a significant other, and there was a strength in his stance that had never been there before. A sense of piece that came as much from feeling closer to his father as it did his healthy body.

And of course the mini-Marauder had got his werewolf uncle back. Harry had only agreed to the dress-up if Remus accepted some of the expensive clothes as his own. Harry was far too tired of his uncle wearing threadbare items when he was in a place to aid the gentle man. Their argument had been long and loud with Harry's victory only coming after Ramses brought out some of Sirius' old stuff that had been left before. That Moony was willing to wear something of Sirius but not James deeply confused the teenager but he wasn't going to look a gift hippogriff in the mouth. And by Poppy's reaction that morning the werewolf actually cleaned up pretty well indeed.

Hermione had attempted to stay out of the argument only for Harry to insist she go through some of Lily's outfits to see if there was anything that took her fancy. She had tried shouting him down until he came up with the one reason she couldn't argue with.

 _Unless I suddenly turn into a cross-gender Polyjuicer then what good are they?_

Any reservations she might still have had over the situation were quickly forgotten when Poppy walked her to the waiting men. Harry's jaw dropped and he couldn't take his eyes off her. The emotions running through his gorgeous eyes took her back to his reaction at the Yule Ball. Somewhere deep inside Hermione a tension eased as hope of him returning her feelings grew.

The smart Gryffindor blindly took the blossoming warmth in her chest as simply being taken with how good _he_ looked.

"I told you, dear. You look lovely." Poppy chuckled, sharing a wink with the smirking Remus as the two teens only had eyes for each other. "Now remember, try to keep this stubborn one from getting into trouble. He's still getting tired too easily for my liking."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey." Hermione immediately promised, not even thinking about disobeying the medi-witch. She'd started to call the woman by her given name but it was an ongoing process fighting against her natural instincts.

"We know that Albus is going to be there." Remus reminded and Harry growled at the name that refocused his attention. "Don't look him straight in the eye and don't let him play any word games with you. And for the love of Merlin, Harry, _please_ keep hold of your temper."

Harry's looks weren't the only things that were now even more Lily-like. His temper, always capable of flaring, seemed to be in the process of becoming a truly destructive force. It had taken Remus an entire evening explaining the trouble Lily's dreaded temper had caused and how even she admitted it was her biggest weakness before Harry accepted his own was a problem. The controlling of it was very much easier said than done.

"Everyone has their emergency portkeys?" Harry asked in an attempt to ignore the three stern glares.

Hermione had been happily wearing his ring since he woke up from the ritual but requested something less obvious for the reading. Harry had buried the flash of pain at her not wearing the ring understanding the need for discretion. He only hoped that things between them would work themselves out by the time Hogwarts started up again.

His honorary uncle and best friend confirmed they had their portkeys and the three said goodbye to the nervous Poppy before Flooing to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry had gone second behind Remus and the older man caught him before his normal 'graceful' exit sent him flying across the room. To rub salt in the wound Hermione was able to effortlessly step clear of the green flames as though simply stepping off a bus. Harry chose to pointedly ignore Moony's chuckles at his grumbling.

The nervous trio were lucky to find the Leaky Cauldron mostly empty and they were paid no attention by the few who were there. Harry marvelled at being able to walk past wizards and witches without constantly being gawked at, a far cry from his very first visit to Diagon Alley all those years ago. Yet the wonder quickly faded as he noticed that they were still catching unwanted attention from the masses.

"Moony..." His voice was soft although his bright Avada eyes spoke volumes as they glared at anyone openly staring his uncle. Hermione wasn't long behind him in realising what the issue was. "Is it always like this?"

"It's the grey hair and scars, cub." The last true Marauder answered with a weary sigh. "My body tells them what I am but the clothes say otherwise."

"That doesn't make sense." Hermione mirrored Harry's frown. "There's bound to be people with money who have it too."

"No one talks about them, Hermione." Remus explained as they approached the unmistakable Gringotts. "The scars are given a completely different explanation and they've got money enough to help with the effects of the change."

"Bloody hypocritical bigots." Harry snarled, looking as though he was ready to challenge each and everyone to a duel. His fingers were actually clenching as though ready to whip out his holly wand. Remus actually smiled and remembered another friend who had reacted with similar anger to the same topic.

Irregardless of the disgust Harry felt towards his fellow wizards he smoothly took over as the leader of the group once they passed through the bank's large doors. He led his friends up to a teller with confident strides, every step screaming that he was the only one worthy of the goblins' attention. Sirius' secret training might not have been for long but it was enough for Harry to know how to act when a situation demanded. The trick was to consider yourself the one the goblins would be most interested in dealing with but not come across as disrespecting the creatures.

"Master Teller, I am here to see Account Manager DaggerClaw. I am willing to give blood to prove my right to his time."

The goblin sneered at Harry – or perhaps it was a look of interest, who could tell? – and reached for the blood-letting knife that would prove Harry's identity. Both acted as though Harry not giving his identity was to be expected.

Harry's hand was hovering over the waiting parchment before the knife had even been withdrawn from its special sterilising bath. Three viciously drawn drops of blood later had the goblin giving him a calculated look.

"You will follow me, wizard. Your disguise will fall away once we get to DaggerClaw."

Harry managed to keep the smirk off his face at the goblin's assumption. A low chuckle from Moony proved that he wasn't the only one who was seeing the misunderstanding as a prank. The three followed the Teller to leave curious spectators in their wake as those in the bank attempted to guess at who the mysterious wizard might have been.

The eclectic group moved in silence through the twisting corridors that made up the beginnings of Gringotts Proper. Harry was nervous and on edge over what was to come, Remus nervous _for_ Harry over what was to come and Hermione's bottom lip was getting a work out from her fear over what was to come being too much for her recovering friend. The goblin stopped in front of a nondescript door that was the office of the Peverell and Potter Accounts manager. It had no plate and the message was simply; if you didn't know whom it was you were dealing with then you were obviously not worthy of walking through the door.

The Teller knocked once and barked something in Garak-da-Ruc. The reply had the goblin opening the door and walking into the office, continuing the conversation as the trio entered behind. As they entered the Spartan room they felt a wave of magic wash over them.

"You are not Harry Potter." DaggerClaw declared with a growl and narrowed eyes as the magic designed to strip away any identity hiding magics failed to change the young man's form. "Yet your blood says you are and our Blood Magic cannot be fooled."

"A ritual, DaggerClaw." Harry explained as he took his seat without being asked. The others sat beside him and he instinctively took Hermione's hand for comfort, her immediate squeeze helped calm his racing pulse. "I used a modified Blood Cleansing Ritual that included a healing aspect and an adoption potion. The ritual appears to have brought out my mother's side."

DaggerClaw sat back to stare at the wizard in front of him. He had met Harry Potter the previous Christmas and had suspected that there was something amiss with the child but this answer caused his goblin sensibilities to react. Children were to be prized and protected, not put under dangerous magics that could only be removed through an extremely painful ritual.

"Tell me everything, Mister Potter." DaggerClaw's tone brokered no arguments. The goblin spat something at the Teller who immediately picked up a scroll of parchment and self-inking quill in order to take notes. "Leave nothing unsaid."

"Albus Dumbledore." Remus said, the goblin-worthy snarl from Harry ignored by all, and proceeded to explain exactly what he and Sirius had discovered. "Lily used some type of blood-based sacrificial ritual the night she was killed and Dumbledore tore it out of Harry to turn it into Blood Wards around the residence he was placed at. He then _bound_ Harry's magic so it couldn't fix what the old man had broken."

"I edited the Blood Cleansing Ritual in order to make the released magic heal my body." Harry added, his voice devoid of any emotion. "I also took the Adoption Potion just before activating the ritual."

DaggerClaw's eyes bore into them both. Hermione couldn't met the being's gaze and something primate at the back of her mind demanded she run as far away from the goblin as possible. He proceeded to ask a series of questions of Harry and Moony, demanding detailed explanations over what needed to be healed, what changes Harry had made and what else Remus and Sirius had found. Harry might not have caught everything that Moony was explaining but it was obvious that Hermione did and by her horrified expression, it wasn't good. It was only when DaggerClaw got everything he could from them both that he sent the Teller out of the room.

"You are in a very strange position, Harry Potter." The goblin focused on Harry and there was a certain feral quality to the gleaming eyes. "What you have suffered goes against everything goblins believe in. Mister Dumbledore has broken almost every goblin law there is in regards to treatment of a child and Gringotts would like to make him suffer. Yet there should be a great difficulty in making such repercussions worthy of his crimes."

"Mr. DaggerClaw." Hermione spoke up when the Account Manager took a breath and her fingers unconsciously tightened around Harry's. "You said _should._ It sounds as though the situation has changed."

"That is has, Witch Granger." DaggerClaw nodded after a moment's pause at being called _Mr._ "For Sirius Black's will is about to force through something that should have happened last year. Mister Potter here is the last of a Noble and Most Ancient House. As such he could have become a legal adult when he turned fifteen. That age drops to thirteen for heirs of the Most Noble and Most Ancient Houses."

"Most Noble and Most Ancient?" The Ravenclaw in a lion's skin asked, sniffing out new and previously unknown information. She didn't notice Remus stiffening in surprise nor Harry swallowing against the large lump that now filled his throat.

"Eight Houses, Witch Granger. Eight Houses whose hands have shaped this country's existence and whose very name is capable of uniting and dividing the country. The Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Danu, said to be the very last of the British Druids and whose Family Magics are the stuff of dreams and nightmares."

Hermione frowned hard at what DaggerClaw described. She knew that goblins didn't respect the majority of wizard magic so knew the House of Danu would have to be something incredible.

"Then there are the Most Noble and Most Ancient Houses of Ambrosius and Le Fay." DaggerClaw continued as though discussing the weather and not world shaping bloodlines. "Whose last great Heads almost sunk this country into the dreaded depths because of their personal war. A war that some argue still continues to this day. And then we have four Houses which you should be very familiar with, Witch Granger. Do you know the ones of which I speak?"

She was so distracted by the information of Merlin and Morgana's war possibly being continued that she didn't immediately get the answer. Hermione felt immediately foolish when it arrived.

"Oh, of course!" She cried out. "Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin."

"The Great Educators." DaggerClaw nodded at her answer before turning his dark eyes back to Harry. "It is said that from Le Fey came the Blacks. But there is one more Most Noble and Most Ancient House, is there not Mister Potter? A House which both bridges and precedes Slytherin and Potter."

Hermione gasped and turned to stare at her best friend, her jaw open at hearing he actually _was_ related to Salazar Slytherin. Harry's green eyes were narrow and his jaw set in the stubborn look she was so familiar with. This was obviously something he had hoped wouldn't be brought up and from Remus's something he hadn't told anyone.

"The Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Peverell." Harry said in a cold, dead voice that had the two shiver in both wonderment and worry. _This_ was the great secret Sirius had made sure he understood. "House Black's patron is Morgana Le Fey and it was from her and her sister, Rowena Ravenclaw, that Sirius and my grandmother were descended from. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter is directly and indirectly connected to the Slytherin and Peverell lines. The Minor House of Evans is nothing more than a series of Squibs from the direct line of Salazar Slytherin."

"You have _got_ to be shitting me!" Remus blurted out, his eyes wide as he looked between Harry and DaggerClaw. "You're descended from four of the most notorious names in Wizarding history?"

"He is." DaggerClaw answered and even by human ears there was humour in his words. "Danu is too diluted to be of issue here. Le Fey through both Sirius Black via the adoption potion as well as his grandmother Dorea Potter née Black, Slytherin through both Potter and the squibbed Evans line, and then the Peverell line multiple times across Mister Potter's three parents."

Harry continued to stare forward, his loose hair keeping most of his face covered so that neither Remus nor Hermione could easily read his expression. It had taken Harry a long time to recover when he found the hidden family tapestry within Potter Manor and asked Sirius to explain the infamous names. Answers hadn't been forthcoming from his shocked godfather and then the man had done everything he could to convince Harry that he needn't worry about his family's blood. After all, Sirius was a Black but nothing like what people believed the family would be, James was a son of a Black and again nothing like the stereotype. That conversation alone caused Harry to dread what it all meant and it had taken a while for Sirius to calm enough before properly explaining. And explain he did. The man who had run from his own family legacy made sure that Harry was well aware of his own.

A giggle broke the awkward silence and Harry turned to see a reddening Hermione. Her voiced thoughts had him chuckle even though it didn't reach his eyes. "You really were the heir of Slytherin in second year."

The weak joke broke the heavy silence to allow DaggerClaw to continue.

"Whether you wish to activate those older Houses is something that must be carefully considered, Mister Potter." The goblin warned. "They come with both political power and dangerous enemies. Friends of Lord Black-Potter may turn out to be enemies of Lord Peverell. Yet Lord Peverell would have the power to protect himself in ways Lord Black-Potter might not."

"You sound like you don't believe there will be a challenge to Harry taking up the Black Lordship." Remus noticed, doing his best to ignore the rest of the information. It was Harry who answered and in a way that proved the boy was the child of all three of Remus' friends.

"Yes, well." Harry's smirk had his green eyes twinkling with humour. "Sirius received a very informative letter from his Account Manager on how contested Lordships really work. It was the reason I took the adoption potion when I did instead of waiting until I'd recovered from the ritual."

The werewolf was shocked when the goblin released a full belly-laugh. It was a sound that somehow made the being seem that more dangerous.

"I shall make Bodrig aware that his information was well received." DaggerClaw replied back deadpanned. "Now, was there a reason for your early arrival aside from making Gringotts aware of your physical and magical changes?"

"Excuse me." Hermione interrupted, the curiosity far too strong for her to hold back. "But what is the big deal about House Peverell?"

Harry's fingers flexed in her hand while Remus tried thinking of a good way of explaining it. DaggerClaw just chuckled in enjoyment at the girl's demand for answers.

"House Peverell is also known as House of Death, Witch Granger. The bloodline has both defeated and produced more Dark Lords than any other because they live by one simply creed; there is no impossible. The House Motto is _Limits are for the Weak of Mind_ and those of Peverell blood stay true to it in all they do."

Hermione couldn't help but think how the two sayings were perfect descriptions of her best friend.

"Mione, imagine everything that I've been through but multiplied by a hundred. If I take up the Peverell Lordship and Family Magic I'd be hated, feared and worshipped all at once for the rest of my life."

She immediately saw why Harry would shy away from the name and nodded her understanding. Remus thought his cub was massively understating things but said nothing as DaggerClaw rose to lead them out of the office and back towards the lobby. All three were lost in their own thoughts as they entered the first corridor and veered off into a large meeting room that had Bodrig, House Black's Account Manager, already standing behind the main desk. A number of uncomfortable looking chairs were arranged to face the goblin. DaggerClaw moved over to his compatriot where they conversed in Garak-da-Ruc while the three humans were left to take a chair.

Harry led his companions to chairs at the back of the room. He made sure to put Hermione on the chair at the end of the row with Remus by her side and then took a spot leaning against the surprisingly warm rock wall. The brunette frowned up at him.

"I want to see everyone." He explained, tossing his head enough to bring the blood-red curls forward enough to partially cover his face. Hermione's mouth opened into an 'o' as she saw the sense in his plan.

It didn't take long for the first bodies to wander in and it actually surprised Harry that they all had red hair. The Weasleys were notorious for running late for everything with the yearly chaos of catching the Hogwarts Express a perfect example. Yet there they were early for Sirius' Will.

Molly, sans Arthur, led the majority of her brood into the room and directed them to the front row. Harry watched them with a blank expression and dispassionate eyes, taking in the Weasley Matriarch's surprise at his presence. There was no recognition in the woman's critical gaze as she took in the way he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. The immediate frown told Harry that the woman who had cared for a weak and scared orphan now considered him a 'bad sort.' He barely kept from snorting with amusement at her reaction to seeing the wonderful Harry Potter like that.

The woman's critical eye turned to Hermione who was then given a warm smile as though the previous expression had been a mirage. Hermione didn't get a chance to respond before Molly blinked in confusion at the fact she was with a well dressed man. There was a moment when it appeared the Weasley mother would speak only for recognition to fill her eyes and a new frown to grace her lips at it being Remus. It was a wonder she didn't get mental whiplash with how quickly her mood appeared to change.

This time Harry openly scowled at the woman. He was for the very first time able to see the hidden disgust the Weasley Matriarch aimed at his uncle. He immediately remembered all the times she had badmouthed Sirius in the man's own home and the air was suddenly filled with crackling magic as his temper threatened to escape. _How had he missed this?_ He demanded of himself. The stray sparks of magic brought Molly's attention back to him and she quickly sat and faced forward so not to have to deal with the obviously Dark Wizard.

Remus could only sigh at the exchange and regretted the shattering of Harry's view towards the woman while Hermione hissed at her best friend to get him to calm down.

Harry swallowed his anger enough to stop it manifesting but the fire continued to rage as his attention moved on to the next Weasley. Ron had a far too familiar look of greed and resentment when he looked at them and how well they were dressed. The dark look Ron sent him wasn't a surprise, no doubt the idiot considered him an evil Slytherin, but the reaction to Hermione certainly was.

The redhead seemed torn between lustful appreciation of how the girl looked to barely contained rage at the obvious cost of her outfit. Once again Harry found himself growling and there was a whiff of ozone building up around him as he reacted to the obvious thoughts running across Ron's face. He didn't notice Remus seeing it all and leaning in to whisper something in Hermione's ear. The girl looked surprised, glared at Ron for even thinking of looking at her like that and then turned to Harry, her chocolate eyes filled with affection.

Harry missed it all. He was barely keeping himself from stalking over to his former friend and flattening the slob. He quickly moved on to the next Weasley in an attempt to stay calm.

There was a small flash of jealousy in Ginny's gaze when she saw Hermione and a demure smile for her former Professor who responded with a nod. Her appreciative gaze of Harry had Hermione's stomach twist and she barely held back from hissing. Remus' sparkling eyes proved she wasn't as successful as she believed herself to be.

Percy had come with his family but immediately drifted over to a chair by himself. It was obvious by the folder in the prat's hand that he was there as a Ministry representative and not anything Weasley related.

The twins ignored the rest of their family and immediately made their way to Hermione and Moony to make their condolences. They gave Harry a few looks but focused most of their attention on the other two, making sure they were looking after themselves as well as asking after Harry. Harry felt the tension ease from his body at their genuine concern. _They're good people_. He thought, thankful that there were some Weasleys who were what they had initially appeared to be.

It was a few minutes before the next group entered and Harry had to stop himself from pulling his wand when he caught the familiar family. The almost white-blond hair of the Malfoys drew the eyes of everyone and Molly quickly covered Ron's mouth before the bigoted idiot could make a scene and get the Weasleys tossed out on their ears.

Lucius Malfoy moved like a the regal Lord he saw himself as, using the constant snake-headed cane as the same fashion statement it had always been. After talks with Dobby, Harry knew the man had no need of it apart from making sure his wand was just a twist away from being drawn. Harry wasn't surprised that the man had managed to keep himself out of Azkaban after the Ministry struggle even though the rest had been sent to that terrible prison. Just the thought of that night had Harry's emotions spiking and he ruthlessly numbed himself to keep from losing control. It was a skill he'd learned the hard way when living with the Dursleys.

Narcissa Malfoy looked her elegant best and wore a traditional black dress of mourning. Her mostly dark hair was pulled back with only the blonde fringe loose in order to imitate a veil. Harry was sure he could actually see genuine remorse and pain in her eyes and suddenly remembered that she would have grown up with Sirius. Draco was also surprisingly quiet and his sneer at Ron's reaction seemed almost automatic and lacked its usual arrogance. While the son merely gave Harry's new appearance a curious look, Lord and Lady appeared to be eyeing him with the smallest hint of hope. The Boy-Who-Lived quickly realised that something major had shifted within the Malfoy home.

The family grew when Andromeda and Nymphadora Tonks stepped through the open door and, to almost everyone's surprise, immediately made their way to the Malfoys. While Draco only stared at Tonks, the two sisters were warm in their greetings and Lucius even kissed the back of Andromeda's hand.

Harry looked to Remus who, if the frown was to be believed, was utterly confused over what they were seeing. The older man felt Harry's gaze and turned, mouthing _Sirius_ that had Harry's eyes widen at what it could all mean. Neither noticed a Metamorphmagus watching the exchange nor when her eyes widened in knowledge. The look quickly turned into a smirk as she leaned in to whisper something to her mother.

It was the last group who reacted the most from Harry's new features. A quiet and puffy eyed Hagrid entered next and was followed by a subdued Professor McGonagall. At least Harry assumed the Transfiguration Mistress was subdued, it was very difficult to tell when it came to the usually stern teacher. She was also wearing black as a mark of respect for her former pupil and gave both Remus and Hermione some type of nod. The half-giant only blinked in surprise at the crimson-headed young man while McGonagall's hand rose to her throat at seeing a male copy of Lily Evans staring back at her. Yet her response was nothing compared to Severus Snape when he came striding into the room.

The Potions Master took one look at the new Harry and staggered back, his pale skin going ghostlike as the blood drained away. Deep black eyes stared into rage filled green and for a moment the air constricted from tension. Moony eyed his childhood nemesis and was ready to move if Snape looked to be drawing his wand. In the end one of the goblin guards stepped forward with his sword drawn and the hated Professor pulled his shredded dignity around him like a cloak. Avada eyes tracked his jerky steps to a chair and noticed the faint tremors in the long hand that brushed at an imaginary piece of lint on his robe.

The anger Harry felt for Snape was nothing compared to what burned at the sight of the multi-coloured robe wearing Hogwarts Headmaster. Harry's face might have been Slytherin-esque blank but his eyes glowed with rage at the sight of the old man and there was a soft _crack_ as the wall Harry was leaning against buckled beneath his magic. The Headmaster reacted much like his pet Death Eater and looked as though he was in the presence of a ghost once he caught sight of Harry.

"Now that everyone is here." Bodrig spoke up even before Dumbledore found his composure and a seat. "We can get on with the will reading of Sirius Orion Black III, Heir Apparent to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. There will be no interruptions and any complaints will only be heard at the end of the reading."

The goblin glared around the room to make sure his words were understood. The mothers to the two most mouthy students at Hogwarts gave their sons hard looks that made both cringe.

"I, Sirius Orion Black III, being of sound mind, body and magic, do proclaim the following as my last Will and Testament. All others preceding this have been magically destroyed and only a true replacement may be read in this one's place.

To House Weasley as a whole and Arthur and Molly in particular. I want to offer my thanks to you for everything you have done for my godson, Harry. You showed him kindness when blood had refused to, offered him a true home when it had been denied him, and your children quite possibly saved his life during the summer after his first year at Hogwarts. For this, I leave you fifteen thousand gallons and my thanks."

A series of emotions crossed the Weasleys faces. Harry watched as an almost identical frown crossed Molly and Ron's face before the matriarch sniffed and a watery smile replaced the anger. He wondered if the two had expected far more from his godfather. _Not with how she treated him last year_. He mentally sneered. Percy seemed to be taken by surprise at what he had heard while the twins merely bowed their heads.

"To Ginny Weasley. I am very familiar with the long-term effects that a childhood horror can have on your future life. I am also familiar with what happened during your first year at Hogwarts. To this end you have an account set up to see a professional mind-healer. The goblins have a pre-approved list that you can work through to pick the one best for you. You'll have as much information as you need to make your decision and no matter how long the treatment lasts, nor how expensive it becomes, House Black will cover it. This is for you and your health only. Heal and be the woman you were meant to be."

By the time Ginny's part was over both the girl and the twins were crying. Harry was disgusted to see Molly, Ron and even Dumbledore frowning at what Sirius had done.

"To Ronald Weasley. Although you have been there for Harry, you also turned against him when he needed you the most. I leave you with a Lightning Bolt and a message. I've heard all about your reactions to what Harry has and I've seen your looks when he wasn't watching. The last Gryffindor who turned his back on a Potter went by the name of Pettigrew. Watch yourself before you become another rat."

The mention of a broom brought the boy's eyes to a shine with eagerness only for the rest of the message to turn the tips of his ears red with anger. It took both his mother and sister, along with a goblin guard stepping closer, to keep his infamous mouth shut.

"To Fred and George Weasley, Pranksters Extraordinaries. Again, I thank you for what you did for my Harry. Not only with rescuing him but also giving him back a family heirloom. That's right, boys, that special item was created by none other than James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Also known as Prongs, Padfoot and Moony, The True Marauders. I know what the Son of Prongs has done for your dreams so here's something from the original generation. The goblins possess a contract that will give Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes more funding with a second partner to be the brilliant Moony. Boys, it was Moony who helped take our pranks to the next level. He's already agreed to share everything he can with you."

The twins were gob-smacked and had their jaws open as they stared accusingly at Remus. To the Marauder's credit, he was preening like a fool at being part of Sirius' last prank. Harry smiled at scene while his heart lifted at the beautiful sound of Hermione's giggles.

"Speaking of. Moony, my old friend, I leave you a million gallons with a life-time supply of Wolfsbane provided by the Black Accounts. I will never see you go without that potion again, Remus. I am truly sorry for what I did to you when we were in school and hope you can forgive me." The mention of The Event brought the Marauder up sharply and his eyes grew clouded. Harry's breath froze until he heard his uncle quietly promise that forgiveness had been given. "I also leave you with the most important thing in my life – the protection and happiness of Harry. You're the last of us, Moony, but our promise still stands. Do what you can, my friend. Protect him."

Remus looked sideways to Harry and the teenager saw the depth of the man's love for him. The look threatened to break his control and a lone tear leaked from the brilliant green eyes. It took Harry a few seconds to realise Bodrig was still speaking.

"...don't blame you for what you did. It was the darkest day of my life and letting you take Harry is my biggest regret. I know you still have my motorbike but this is me officially letting you keep it. I've made sure Harry gets the blueprints if he ever wants to make his own. So take care of yourself, my large friend, and know that that you were always a friend of Lily's. Ask Remus about a certain hippogriff and be a good friend to him."

Hagrid's small sniffles were loud enough to keep the goblin from reading on until he got himself under control.

"To Minnie McGonagall. You were a wonderful Head of House for James and I and we respected you. You let us have our fun but also tried your best to keep up from crossing lines that I did far too often. I now believe that allowing Albus to dictate my punishment over what happened with Snape changed you. The Minnie I knew would never have allowed Harry's years at Hogwarts to be the nightmares they were so it is to the woman I knew who I bequeath the follow; twenty thousand gallons so you can let your hair down. In addition, brand new training brooms for the school and an account for the House teams to always have the best, non-professional, brooms available."

McGonagall eyes narrowed at the words and there was a small tick at the corner of her eye from the accusation. Hermione only felt sadness at not knowing the woman her Head of House had been rather than the one who allowed her Harry to be tormented.

"To Severus Snape I leave an apology and a warning. To the boy from Hogwarts, the one that James and I abused and bullied because he reminded us too much of the Blacks, you have my deepest apology for destroying those years and engineering the situation that cost you Lily's friendship. To the Death Eater you became, I say only this. You've turned into a twisted, spiteful bastard who spent five years abusing the child of that best friend and for that alone I condemn you to the deepest depths of hell. If, as I believe, you had something to do with that night then may Merlin have mercy on your soul."

The wall behind Harry buckled from accidental magic at the very thought of Snape being involved with the death of his parents and the initial crack spider-webbed along half the wall. The flare of his magic was enough to reveal his identity to even the dimmest of those present and all but the dark-eyed man stared at Harry in some type of surprise. Snape's only reaction was a final sneer at the warning as he rose and his robe billowed behind him as he left. If looks could kill, the Potions Professor would have been dead twenty times over with the hatred Harry burned into his back.

Only Hermione heard Moony growling as Snape condemned himself with his actions.

"To Albus Chief Warlock Dumbledore. I leave you thirty sickles and this. Pray Lily never gets her hands on you, Albus."

The twinkling eyes had long been forgotten as the powerful warlock listened to the reading. The slap to Minerva had him grinding his teeth but the comments to both Severus and himself had the Headmaster questioning everything that had happened since Sirius' death. He was now positive that it was Black who somehow got Harry to share his memories about Peter and he was now fearing what else had been given to Minister Bones. Harry's new appearance confused him but he suspected a mixture of potions and glamour.

"And now I move on to family. To my favourite cousin Andi I leave what should have been your dowry when marrying your wonderful Ted. Three million galleons is yours, dear cousin. The paperwork to bring you back into the fold has also been filled and only requires the signature of the new Lord Black."

Andromeda dabbed her eyes as she was hugged by her sister. It was clear to all who looked that both women were happy about the second announcement. Dumbledore's frown only grew at the reunion between the two. He couldn't afford the Black Sisters to work together, especially if they were uniting behind a Lord Black. It would cost him too much to stop with his main focus being Harry and Tom.

"To Nymphadora Tonks. Regardless of whether the new Lord Black brings you and your mother into House Black I've created a vault for what would have been your trust fund until you reached your majority. Inside is one hundred and forty thousand galleons as well as a collection of dragon-hide armour specifically made for Metamorphmagi. They're family heirlooms, little cousin. Wear them with pride and may they keep you safe in this time of danger."

Tonks' hair had been cycling widely throughout the reading. At this announcement her jaw dropped, far lower than was physically possible to anyone without her gift, and her eyes widened to large proportions. Sirius had given her the best protection an Auror could buy as well as allowing her the funds to keep her personal supplies easily up to Auror Captain levels. Harry and Hermione's gazes swung around to clearly spot the jealous glare of Molly and Ron at the far larger amounts given out.

"To Narcissa, my dear cousin. A vault has been set up for Draco with his own Black trust fund. The letters are ready and if things go as planned, speak to the new Lord Black for what we've discussed."

Harry frowned, this time having no idea what Sirius was on about, and he wasn't the only one. Dumbledore's fears were growing and he wondered if Sirius had truly turned to Tom after escaping Azkaban. Ron only saw it only as yet more people getting what they didn't deserve while he was left without. It was only Harry out of the three who trusted what the old Marauder was up to.

"To Draco. You have the vault so this is my message to you, cousin. You have a chance to make something of yourself and be your own man. Take it before it becomes too late. The family has lost enough blood to foolish causes."

The boy in question didn't react. His pale eyes continued to stare forward as he had done so for the majority of the reading.

"And penultimately, a girl who could have easily been a niece. Hermione, I can't tell you how much you remind me of a young Lily. Talk to Remus, learn more about our dear Lils, and know that you made an old man happy to see such a strong young woman standing beside his godson. To you, for your parents, I leave a million gallons in order for them to live the lives they want or simply go into hiding until this coming war is over." Remus quickly put an arm around the crying girl and Harry's chest tightened at the sight of her tears. "To you, I leave tabs with some of the more exotic book sellers of the Wizarding World. If the new Lord Black turns out not to be who I suspect it will, then I also leave you the library from my old home. If he is then I won't need to worry as you'll get access to it whenever you want."

Here Bodrig took a sip of water and Harry realised that the goblin had been talking non-stop for quite a while without any refreshment.

"And on that cryptic note. To Harold James Black-Potter, my godson, my adopted son in magic if not blood."

Gasps rose from those present not in the know and once again eyes turned to Harry. This time he stepped away from the wall and stood tall, his eyes were filled with defiance to those who wished to argue the fact.

The Black woman each had their own different types of smiles for Harry while the Malfoy men gave him calculative looks. The twins were beaming at him as the rest of their family glared. Hagrid sniffled and smiled, McGonagall didn't seem to know how she should react while Dumbledore appeared ready to explode.

"I name him my heir and the new Lord Black as well pronouncing him emancipated in order to pick up his Potter Lordship. I give him everything remaining from my family, my deepest regrets over chasing a rat rather than protecting him, and the love for him that kept me alive in Azkaban for twelve years. Be true to yourself, Harry. Be strong. Act like a Potter towards your friends and a Black towards your enemies."

Harry dropped to one knee and bowed his head in reverence to the man who had, even briefly, treated him like a son. Andromeda and Narcissa gasped at what they were watching, remembering their childhoods when such actions were explained. Harry was following the exact protocol for becoming The Black.

Harry's head lifted to reveal his eyes once more glowing with magic. He spoke the ritual words that had been passed down from one Black to another since the family had been created.

"I take what is offered with the respect it is due. _Toujours Pur. Domo in aeternum!_ "

Harry's aura flared as the Black Family Magic reacted to his oath and it was as Lord Black Apparent that he rose, nodding to Bodrig for the goblin to continue.

"So ends the Last Will and Testament of Sirius Black." Bodrig announced and the guards shifted in readiness for any trouble. "All items are valid by both Ministry and Gringotts laws so the only thing remaining is a challenge to the promotion of Harold Black-Potter to the title of Lord Black. Draco Malfoy, is it your intention to challenge for the title of Lord Black?"

Narcissa quickly put a hand on her son's arm and stared intensely at Harry. "He blood adopted you?"

"He did." Harry replied in a clear voice, not bothering to explain more with so many unfriendly ears in the room.

Remus made sure to watch Dumbledore's reaction to his nephew's answer and smirked at the fearful widening of eyes.

Narcissa nodded and turned back to Bodrig. Draco had remained silent and barely reacted to what was happening around him. "In that case, my son will not challenge. Lord Potter's position as Lord Black is undeniable."

"Then I declare this reading..."

"Wait!" Dumbledore rose quickly despite his advanced age. The act of closing the reading was enough to snap the Chief Warlock out of his daze. Everyone, even McGonagall, looked at the Headmaster in shock at what he was apparently doing. One didn't interrupt goblins if they knew what was good for them. "Harry is too young. As his Magical Guardian I must insist this not happen."

"I wouldn't be throwing around that title so freely, _Mister_ Dumbledore." Bodrig grinned with dangerous sharp teeth. "Your role in Lord Black-Potter's life is about to be investigated by Gringotts."

"And the Ministry!" Hermione spoke up for the first time and her warm eyes were aflame with righteous anger at the man she had once respected trying to deny Harry his heritage.

"Albus, _sit down!_ " McGonagall hissed very similar to her Animagus form, her own anger at the situation bringing out her cat's personality. She took hold of his obnoxious robe and pulled him back to his chair. The events of the last week and then today had shaken the usually unflappable man and his brilliant mind was unable to come up with any answers.

"As I was saying. This reading is now ended." Bodrig never looked away from Dumbledore. "Come forward to sign your required paperwork."

Professor McGonagall was first to rise. Her stiff posture never changed as she signed the forms, took her vault key and left with Hagrid as an escort. That she never once looked towards Harry broke the last strands of respect her Gryffindor students felt towards her.

The Weasley twins followed their old Head of House. They studied the contract that added Remus as a third part-owner of WWW, whispered furiously together, and then signed it. Harry actually knew that the geniuses would keep the majority stake in their business with his percentage only representing his initial investment and Remus' enough to provide a steady income as long as the joke shop continued its success. What he would never know was that the twins felt they could never repay either Harry nor the Marauders for the impact both had in their lives and were only too happy to agree.

The rambunctious boys came over to give Hermione a double hug and Remus a double firm handshake.

"Harry, mate..." Fred began.

"...Brilliant prank, my good sir..." George added

"Do pop into the shop when you can." They finished together with a small flourish. For the twins, it was a downright sombre greeting and Harry took their hands in gratitude.

"I will, boys. And I'll make sure Moony stays in touch."

"And you as well, good lookin'" George gave Harry a saucy wink and the two were off, only to be replaced by other Weasleys.

"Harry James Potter, just what have you done to yourself!" Molly Weasley's Howler impression immediately had Hermione snuggling up to Harry in moral support.

"You might want to get a hold of yourself, Mrs Weasley. After all, it is Lord Black-Potter now." Harry glared at the woman and barely noticed that he had wrapped his arm around Hermione in comfort. "As for your question I took a blood adoption potion that also brought out some of my mum's genetics."

"Too rich to talk to the common folks are you, Potter?" Ron sneered as he came up beside the shocked Molly. Although he was holding the latest Bolt broom he still managed to glare at them as though they had taken away his prized possession.

"I won't take being talked down to, _Ronald_." Harry snapped back without looking away from the recovering woman. "You looked after me, Mrs Weasley, but you _aren't_ Lily Potter. You don't have a right to talk to me the way you just did. You didn't have the right to talk to Sirius like you used to in his own home and I can only imagine the scene you would have made if he'd done the same to you at the Burrow."

There was no give in Harry's harsh gaze and the Prewett temper was ready to explode when Remus interjected with words of wisdom. It didn't escape Hermione's notice that both the Tonks and Malfoys were giving Harry appreciative nods to his handling of the woman.

"Molly, this is neither the time nor place." Remus reminded her in a voice low enough to contain a warning growl. "Harry is an adult and _not_ your child. If this upsets you then I suggest you talk to Arthur about this."

Even Molly and Ron's anger could be derailed by a mixture of common sense and the sound of Goblin steel being drawn. The woman huffed as though greatly insulted and pulled her youngest children away without another word. It was then that Harry realised that Percy was long gone.

"Mrs Tonks." He said with only a small trepidation in approaching the sister of Bellatrix Lestrange. It wasn't so much her relation to the woman who had cost him Sirius but rather how alike they looked. "If you give me a chance to take up the Black ring I'll be happy to sign those papers."

"Thank you, Harold." Andromeda smiled openly as she pulled him into a firm hug. It was nothing like those of the red-headed woman who had stormed away and Harry felt he could come to like these ones. "I think it would be best to get ourselves a meeting room first. There's something you'll need to hear that may change your mind."

"Mum? What are you on about?" Tonks frowned in obvious confusion. She knew how much being a Black meant to her mum. "It's what you've always wanted."

"I think, Tonks." Harry interjected, his gaze going over the shoulder of one sister to look into the pale eyes of the other. "That your mum might know exactly why the Malfoys are waiting for me. And just what Sirius meant to Lady Malfoy."

"Perceptive, Lord Black-Potter." Lucius drawled without a sneer in sight. In fact Harry couldn't remember a single sneer from any of them. "I would request that this meeting be only with those you absolutely trust. Not only is it a Family Matter but also something that could cost lives if shared to outsiders."

Harry looked the man in his cold-grey eyes and forced himself to think back to the last time they had stared the other down. Malfoy had been the only sane voice in the Hall of Prophecies while the others had been far too ready to curse them.

"Sirius trusted Remus with my life, Lord Malfoy." He answered after a moment of silence that had the blond growing nervous. "And Hermione stands with me against anyone wishing me harm. There are only two who I trust as much as them."

"You keep saying things like that, Harry, and you'll make my head as big as an overfed Humdinger."

A very familiar airy voice announced the arrival of one of the two Harry spoke of. The dirty-blonde that was Luna Lovegood skipped into the room wearing a baby blue sundress beneath expertly cut robes and the sway of her body beneath the dress highlighted her lack of underwear. The yellow sandals had a surprisingly high heel and her silvery-grey eyes were more focused than most of Hogwarts had ever seen.

Both Hermione and Draco rolled their eyes at the words, saw that they had mirrored each other and then simultaneously cringed at having the same reaction. Harry ignored them both to step forward and wrap the lithe girl in a fierce and protective hug.

"I missed you, Little Lu." He boldly stated and the sheer affection in his voice brought Hermione up sharp, her heart hitching at what he might mean. "I take it you're here to help me with this?"

"That and we have to visit identical will-o'-wisps when you're done." She explained and it only took him a couple of thoughtful blinks to work out what she meant.

"Bodrig, as time is money I'd like a small meeting room for this." Harry requested from the waiting goblin. "I'll take up my rings before it starts so you can get on with whatever you need to do."

"A good compromise of priorities, Lord Black-Potter. And have no fear over the broken wall, your accounts have enough to cover the repairs." Bodrig announced. Harry looked sheepishly at the damage his magic had caused and those around him chuckled over the blush.

The stone corridor echoed with the sound of Lucius' cane and Luna's sandals as she skipped alongside the goblin. The strange girl appeared to be talking to Bodrig in some type of tinkling language that had the goblin responding in his more harsh tongue. Harry could only smile at the sight as he walked beside Hermione with Remus and the Tonkses separating them from the Malfoys. Everyone else seemed to have some type of look aimed at the young woman.

The meeting room, one of the most secure in the entire bank, was already occupied with DaggerClaw standing beside the Black and Potter ritual bowls.

"You're familiar with what you must do, Mister Potter." DaggerClaw said the moment Harry entered the room. "As you have taken the name Black-Potter, you must take the Black Lordship before you can take up the Potter's."

"I know." Harry replied, walking up to the indicated bowl. "It's Sirius' will that keeps the Ministry from fighting my Potter claim."

"Not like this'll stop them trying." Tonks grumbled as she dropped into a chair, her hair turning as Harry's red when she thought of what Dumbledore might attempt if he was desperate enough.

Harry sent her a wry smile as he took hold of the ritual blade and cut open his palm. He let the blood pool into the Black bowl and spoke the important words.

"I, Harold James Black-Potter, do here, this day, take up the mantle of Lord Black as is my right. I do so swear to uphold the House and all its responsibilities. So I say, so I swear, so mote it be."

His blood glowed and then began to bubble before being absorbed into the bottom of the bowl. What was left was a rather thick platinum band containing a pitch black opal stone. The Black family crest of Morgana Le Fey's raven had been etched into the stone using liquid silver. The ring was one of the most feared in Wizarding High Society.

Harry reverently reached into the bowl to withdraw the ring. Neither Narcissa nor Andromeda had seen the ring since the death of Arcturus Black and they could feel their Family Magics stirring as magic declared a new Black. Harry slipped it onto his right middle finger and he was quickly surrounded by an aura of magic. The purple light shone brightly and then spread to the two sisters and their children.

When the light show finally ended there seemed to be a sense of danger around Harry that hadn't been there before. The ladies stood from their chairs and curtsied to their new Lord.

"Praise to the new Black, may he lead the Family with honour and power." Narcissa announced and Harry nodded to them both.

"Let me sign the papers to bring the Tonks into the family." Harry requested of Bodrig. "It's too important to wait."

"My Lord, you really should wait..." Andromeda began only to be cut off by a smiling Luna.

"Nothing said in this room with have Harry change his mind." She declared in her unique way. "Family is everything to Harry."

Harry smiled at the girl's words, a reaction that was mirrored by both Remus and Hermione. A quick flourish of a blood quill, despite his initial cringe at once again using such an object, and Harry's family had grown by three.

"Mrs. Tonks, Tonks, I want you to know that you can come to me for anything. I take your safety seriously."

"You can call me Andromeda, my Lord Black." The elder sister answered with a smile that took the years off. "Or Aunt Andi."

"And you can call me Harry, Aunt Andi." The moment was broken by Tonks throwing out a typical comment that had Harry laughing.

"And you can keep calling me Tonks, little Harry." She smirked only for it, and her hair, to wilt under the glare of her mother. The incident caused chuckles to ripple around the table.

"And now for the Potter ring, Lord Black-Potter." DaggerClaw reminded them. Bodrig had already collected the ritual bowl and paperwork and was leaving the group. Harry nodded, took up the new knife and cut his left palm in almost the exact spot as he had the first time.

"I, Harold James Black-Potter, do here, this day, take up the mantle of Lord Potter as is my right. I do so swear to uphold the House and all its responsibilities. So I say, so I swear, so mote it be."

Harry watched the blood fade away and his excited grew at being able to see the ring that his father and grandfather would have worn. The feeling quickly slipped away when he caught sight of what the blood was revealing. Those who couldn't look inside the bowl only saw his face go white.

"Bugger." Harry swore, unable to take his eyes away from the _two_ rings that now waited for his claiming. He had no idea Luna had risen from her chair until her slender arms wrapped around him.

"It's meant to be, Harry. This is who you are, who you were born to be. Don't be afraid of it."

"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, worry marring her soft features. "What is it?"

"Harry is the Morrigan's Warrior." Luna answered in an airy voice. Her faintly glowing eyes caught each of them and they felt themselves being judged by whatever it was that looked out from within her. "He has taken up the Raven Ring and looked to claim his place as Lord of the House of Creation. But there was one aspect missing and it has been given to him."

"Merlin..." Lucius cursed, staring wide-eyed at Harry who had still not moved. "The House of Death."

Remus saw that Draco and Tonks were confused and couldn't stop his inner professor from rising even as he grew afraid for his cub.

"For all the negative reputation of House Black, it is infamous for being Warriors of Magic. Whether it's in politics or in the battlefield, no one sane would stand against House Black." He explained in a calm voice that hid his inner turmoil. This was exactly what DaggerClaw had hinted at and he wasn't amused at all. "The Potters are well known for being inventors, creators, so in some way their legacy is bringing life. So you have Life and War from the Triple Goddess."

"Maiden, Mother, Crone." Hermione announced, quickly put the pieces together. "War, Life and Death."

"And before the Potters they were the Peverells. Also known as the House of Death." Narcissa finished, as pale as the other adults.

"I thought you said Harry had a choice!" Hermione demanded of the equally shocked DaggerClaw as though it was the goblin's fault. "You said he had to be careful whether to take up the ring."

"Magic demands it, Hermione." Luna sternly told her, looking to derail the girl's frantic rant. "This was decided before Harry cut his palm. It's neither the goblins nor Harry's fault."

The boy in question had not taken his eyes from the rings. The urge to pick them up had been growing since their appearance and his hand was moving on its own accord.

No one dared to breathe as he lifted the gold band that was the Potter Ring. It was less fancy than the Black, the rampant Thestral was carved directly into gold rather than on any opulent stone. Harry carefully slipped it onto his right ring finger and a warm yellow surrounded him as it resized. Luna stepped away as he went to pick up the second ring, knowing this was to be done alone.

It too was made of platinum and the diamond-shaped stone was split down its middle with one half red and the other green. In reality the stone was actually a triangle cut sapphire and ruby laying side-by-side. Inscribed around the stones was the repeated phrase _Memento Mori._ When Harry slipped the infamous ring on his left middle finger he was covered in an oppressive black aura and from somewhere they heard a raven's triumphant cry.

Harry's legs gave out as soon as the aura faded and he had to catch himself on the table to keep himself from crashing to the ground. A very wide-eyed DaggerClaw quickly collected the ritual equipment and made his way out of the room as Luna and Remus helped ease Harry into a chair. The goblin needed to inform his Chief of what was coming.

"Some warning would have been nice, Lu." He weakly complained, the slight curve of lips telling her that he wasn't annoyed by her silence.

"You knew what would happen, Harry." She smirked back, settling into her own chair again.

"Maybe." He sighed, briefly closing his eyes as his body struggled with the clashing Magics the rings had awoken inside him. "Pomfrey is going to freak when I get back to the Manor."

A polite cough brought him out of his musings and Harry looked across the table to the Malfoys. The exhaustion that appeared to be weighing him down suddenly vanished as his sheer will overcame the magical exhaustion.

"Perhaps, Lady Malfoy, it would be best if you explained all this mystery."

"Yes, my Lord..." She paused as she realised she didn't know which title to use.

"Black." Harry offered as he sat up straight. "Or Black-Potter. This is about House Black after all."

Narcissa nodded only to hesitate and cast a nervous glance at her niece. "It was not long after _that_ night at the cemetery that I received a letter delivered by our old elf."

"Dobby." Harry half-stated, half called with a sigh. There was a quiet pop as the elf in question appeared in the room only to let out a very undignified _eep_ when he saw who was near his Master Harry Potter Sir. "Dobs, I promise you're not in trouble but I need to know something. Did you pass messages between Sirius and Lady Malfoy?"

The elf looked between his Master and his old family. His ears had drooped and there was a hint of sadness in his large eyes.

"Yes, Master Harry Sir." Dobby nodded slowly. "Dogfather bes telling Dobby that family bes important. But Dogfather bes wanting to make sure Dobby's old family not hurt Master Harry Sir."

"Thank you, Dobby. You may go."

"He looks well." Lucius mused only to startle when Harry levelled a furious look his way.

"I grew up being treated the same way you treated him." Harry snarled. He had to force his features to smooth out when returning to Narcissa and the effort meant he missed the widening eyes at what his statement meant. "Please continue, Lady Malfoy."

"It's as Dobby said, Lord Black. Our cousin wanted to find out if I possessed the Dark Mark and who owed my loyalties."

"Excuse me." Hermione spoke up with a frown. She had no words to describe how strange the day had been and was doing her best to focus on the small details. "But couldn't you have simply lied?"

" _Familia Praesidio_." Andromeda answered for her sister with a shake of her head. The teens looked at her in confusion. "Think of it as a guaranteed parley. Sirius most likely spelled the letter to prove the truthfulness of his words and Cissy was honour-bound to do the same. Whatever she wrote on her own spelled parchment was the truth as she knew it."

Harry watched the thoughts chase across Hermione's face as she took in the mechanics of a spell. He also knew she would be desperate to look for the spell to find out how it worked and if she could cast it.

"And you told him?" Harry asked before his best friend could derail the conversation. It was Lucius who answered.

"I am not what most would call a good man, Lord Black." Malfoy's words were a statement, neither apologising nor containing any guilt over the truth. "I am a magical elitist and have raised my son to believe the same. I believe in the Old Ways and see Muggle concepts infecting our society as a dangerous disease that needs to be eradicated before it can bring down the very thing I hold dear. _This_ is the reason I joined the Dark Lord."

Luna's soft voice spoke up before Hermione could respond.

"Do you know the truth behind the term Mud-blood, Hermione?" She asked the bushy-haired Gryffindor. "And I don't mean the way some Slytherins have come to use it."

Her pale eyes cut to Draco who shrunk in his chair at the dark looks his parents were giving him.

"What does she mean by that, Draco?" Narcissa demanded in a voice like ice.

The two questions hung in the air as both refused to answer. Draco, because he knew he was in trouble, and Hermione because she had a suspicion there was more to Luna's question than what she was aware of and didn't want to look ignorant. Harry sighed and leaned back in his chair to pinch his nose as a headache started to build.

"Can _someone_ explain all of this for those who are Muggle-born and raised?" He asked in a tone that demanded the answer come immediately.

"It's not a general term for all Muggle-borns, Harry." Remus offered. "It was originally used against those who looked down on or disrespected traditions by sullying them with foreign concepts. Usually these people, and they could have been Pure-bloods from another country as often as Muggle-borns, were willing to bleed in their desire pull people away from the Old Ways."

"Your son, Lady Malfoy." Luna answered without taking her eyes from Hermione's. The Muggle-Born witch found herself unable to look away and didn't like the harshness in the younger girl's gaze. "Has used the term as a general slur against _all_ Muggle-borns."

"She still qualifies." Draco grumbled. Once again it was Luna speaking up that derailed a Hermione verbal attack.

"That she does, Draco." The blonde girl nodded, doing her best not to let the looks of betrayal on her friends faces keep her from speaking. "She's a strong minded young woman and no one in a position of knowledge has sat her down to explain things."

"What..I...how..." Hermione stuttered through the pain and anger. Harry had actually listened to what was being described and could only sigh again when he realised that Luna's words were actually true.

"Mione." His firm voice brought the almost crying girl's attention to him. "We'll sort this out after, okay. We'll even have lot's of shouting and venting but right now we need to know what Sirius has done."

He held her eyes and for the first time that anyone could remember, she swallowed her pride and anger and nodded. She turned away from him so he wouldn't see the pain of his betrayal even as he knew it was there. The Pure-bloods watching could only marvel at Harry's iron will.

"I think we need to get to the point of all this very quickly." Harry demanded through clenched teeth.

"The point, Lord Black, is that the man and the cause I chose to follow are not the same things that are now your enemy." Lucius said, surprised and impressed by Harry's ability to keep focused on the end result. "I never wanted you nor any of the other students hurt last month. In fact I had asked Narcissa to inform Sirius of the trap in the hopes he would get in touch with you."

"Kreacher told me that Sirius wasn't there." Harry said weakly and Narcissa swallowed back her pain.

"I was talking to him at the time." She explained in a weak voice. "He told me he had a way of contacting you."

"He did." Remus said, his eyes lost to the past. "He got in touch with me frantic about a potential trap and had me race up to Hogwarts because he couldn't reach Harry. I eventually got to Severus who informed me of Harry's warning message and what he believed. We then had to gather the Order before getting to the Ministry."

"That bastard sat on the message." Harry growled, his magic pulsing, only to shake himself down so he could glare at the Malfoys. "So you don't want to keep following Riddle."

"He's charged my son to kill Albus Dumbledore." Lucius stated to the shock of everyone without actually answering the question. "Personally, I don't care if the old bastard lives or dies but this mission is nothing more than a way of killing Draco and making us, me, suffer. Narcissa requested amnesty from Black and he agreed. You being Lord Black means I am now here begging you for the same thing."

The two Lords locked eyes and neither gave an inch. The blond was desperate to save his family, the green-eyed one needed to find out if this was all a trap. Harry saw arrogance and pride in Malfoy's eyes but not danger.

"Explain the diary." Harry demanded and Lucius winced, immediately knowing his words would make or break the deal.

"I didn't know what it would do." Lucius confessed with a sneer of self-derision. "The Dark Lord is a powerful wizard and he is capable of creating incredibly powerful objects. That _book_ was something I had never seen before. Something I wish to never see again."

"You wrote in it!" Harry exclaimed with wide eyes. Hermione, who had been staring off into space as though to pretend she wasn't there, looked at the man who almost brought about her death and actually felt pity for him if what Harry had guessed was true. "And not just once."

"No." Lucius bit out through clenched teeth and his hand wormed over his cane's handle as though to ease his nerves. "The Dark Lord knew I was one of his. I spent months explaining to that book what had happened since his downfall and I lost myself to it."

Narcissa saw that it was a lot for the young Lord to take in and offered a short-term solution.

"Perhaps Andi can teach you about _Familia Praesidio_ , my Lord Black? She can teach you about the family and why Sirius would have been willing to do this."

Harry stared at her and for a good while they thought he wouldn't answer. "It would be a great help."

"I'd be happy to, Harry." Andromeda replied with a nod and a glance at her sister. "No one here wants to act without all the information."

Lucius gave a curt nod to them both stood, offering a hand to Narcissa as he continued to look at Harry.

"I understand caution, Lord Black, but I can't have you wasting our time. Malfoy Manor will soon have a _guest_ that demands too much."

Harry's eyes narrowed at the news and gasps rose from around him. "Can you last a week? We'll meet here at the same time next week and you'll have an answer."

Shock sparked in the man's pale eyes and there was only a tilt of the head before he left. Narcissa gave Harry a small smile of thanks while Tonks looked as shell-shocked as Harry felt but followed her mother's lead as Andromeda rose. The two sisters moved as one towards the door with the young Auror following behind. Only Draco hesitated in leaving.

"I don't blame you for being cautious, Potter." The arrogant boy drawled in a mockery of his usual tone. Harry finally took a hard look at his school rival and saw that the boy had lost weight in his face and had a haunted look in his eyes. "But thank you for at least hearing us out."

"He Marked you, didn't he." Harry's words were more statement than question but Draco stiffly nodded anyway. "Understand this, Draco. If I give you sanctuary and then you betray me, betray those I care about, I'll end your entire family."

It was Draco's turn to take a proper look at Harry and his last words hung in the air. "I do believe you would, Lord Black."

The room seemed empty when it was only Harry, Remus, Luna and Hermione remaining. Harry sighed heavily and turned to his closest friend with a look that suggested he was on his way to the gallows.

"So...I guess you've got a lot to say, Mione?"

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oOoOo

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 **SN: For those interested, Harry's words were roughly "Always Pure. Family Forever"**

 **Hope you enjoyed and there will be another chapter (hopefully) soon. Not too much action in the early stages of this story but that will drastically change as things heat up.**


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